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Pet & Animal Art - Paintings with Petzazz & More

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Who is PaintDog (aka Ann Ranlett)?

I'm an artist and illustrator specializing in nature subjects and pet & animal art. I love animals and really enjoy working with my clients to create portraits of their cherished pets.

I work in 2 styles and various mediums: my "Paintings with Petzazz" pieces are done in watercolor on Yupo (a synthetic paper) - they're vibrant and fun and although they're painted in a "loose" style they still capture the personality of my subject.

My realistic portraits are created in either ink on scratchboard, graphite pencil, or mixed media which is usually a combination of watercolor, ink and color pencil on Ampersand's Aquabord or watercolor Art Board.

My work is custom and unique and the end result is an original painting or drawing, not an altered photo or assembly line product.  Because creating these portraits takes time, planning and thought, I have a waiting list, but I'd be happy to discuss a portrait of your best friend with you! Visit my pet portraits page to find out more and see plenty of samples of my work.

More About the "Paintings with Petzazz" Process

Bright, Fun Critter Paintings

This painting of "Oliver" was done in my "Petzazz" style - I choose a limited palette of watercolors and paint quickly on Yupo (see the section below to learn more about Yupo). Find out more about my "Paintings with Petzazz" process and how you can commission your own Petzazz art of a favorite pet.

You can also find many of my Petzazz images on fun merchandise in my CafePress shop - rectangular magnets, mugs, mouse pads, t-shirts and more.

For square magnets, visit my my Zazzle shop.


A sampler of Petzazz art is also available on Daydreams Art Fabric through Colfax Cloth & Quilt Company.

What is Yupo?

A most wonderful painting surface!

Yupo is the brand name of a synthetic paper that was originally created for use in the print industry. It's made of polypropylene, it's slick, opaque white (there's also a slightly transparent version) and non-absorbent.

Somewhere along the line, watercolorists got hold of it and found that it was pretty neat stuff. It's very different from traditional watercolor paper 'cause the water & paint sit on top of it (instead of soaking in) - so the colors remain vibrant. Because of this quality, the paint puddles and dries in interesting ways and leaves great shapes and watermarks. You can see those puddles in the background of "Llemon-Llime Llama".

The other thing about Yupo is that it's easy to lift the paint off. That's good and bad - depending. . .
GOOD when you want to lift out a highlight, whiskers, tuft of fur, etc. as I did with the fuzzy edges of the llama's neck. It's BAD when you have an area you don't like and you try to fidget with it - that lifts off everything you put down in that area and leaves you with an obvious spot. I've found that you have to do a little planning and then just let things happen.

I also teach workshops in watercolor on Yupo.

Yupo is available through a number of on-line art supply catalogs (and Amazon.com, see the link in the next section) - get some and give it a try!

Buy Yupo from Amazon.com

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What is Ink on Scratchboard?

My Other Favorite Medium


I used ink on scratchboard to create this portrait of "Hershey". Curious about my ink on scratchboard process? It's very time consuming, but I really enjoy the challenge of creating a pet portrait or drawing using only shades of grey. Visit my demo page to find out more. If you're curious about commissioning a unique, detailed portrait of your favorite companion, click here.

You can also find out more about scratchboard on Wikipedia.

I've been working on black scratchboards recently too - these boards are just called "scratchboard". I use Ampersand's Scratchbord product. For years, I've used a white scratchboard surface - painting the black or grey (diluted ink) where I choose, then scratching & re-inking to get the effect I want. The black boards are already coated with a layer of black ink, which is scratched off to create white lines & areas. I can re-ink some of the white areas to soften them and can also add grey washes. Some scratchers will also add color to the white areas for a really nice effect. I have a drawing of a German Shepherd pup that I'm going to color.

I just completed "Percheron Power", a dark grey draft horse, to submit to this year's "Art at the Classic" equine art show at the Draft Horse Classic. It's on a 5" x 7" board.

You can see a few stages of this drawing in my Facebook album (the GSD pup is also there).

Scratchboard Books on Amazon.com

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Note This!

Visit my blog to find out the latest scoop on my art, animal events and other stuff :)

Samples of My Pet Portraits


A commissioned watercolor on Yupo portrait of Ace, a greyhound.




A watercolor on Yupo portrait of Jack, an Australian Cattle Dog and a forbidden toy.




A commissioned watercolor on Yupo portrait of Oliver, eyeing his mousie toy.




A commissioned mixed-media portrait of Gus, a black lab mix. I used ink, watercolor & color pencil on an archival watercolor board.




A scratchboard portrait of a Boston Terrier. This drawing is available. Contact me for details.




A pencil drawing of a watchful grey cat.

This is an ACEO - small format art - always 2.5" x 3.5". Find out more about my pencil ACEOs on this Squidoo Lens. My thanks to one of my Twitter followers for providing the reference photo for this drawing. The original has sold, but I have magnets and note cards though.

ACEOs - Affordable, Collectible Mini Works of Art

ACEO = "Art Cards, Editions & Originals"

ACEOs are small original works of art (although limited edition prints are also acceptable) that are the size of a baseball trading card and are a great way to collect affordable art. The only "rule" is that they must measure 2.5" x 3.5". ACEOs may be matted, framed, traded, given as a gift within a greeting card, etc. The ACEO movement started on eBay and has spread to a number of other internet sites. They are also called Art Trading Cards (ATCs), although it's generally understood that ATCs are to be traded and ACEOs are to be sold.

I started creating ACEOs in December of '06 and I love this format. They're small, so they don't take long to do and they allow me to try out some new ideas/images that might someday become a larger painting or drawing.

Check out my YouTube video - it's about ACEOs and features a selection of my cards. watch the video
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A mixed media painting of an alpaca mom & her cria (baby). I used watercolor & color pencil for this one. The original has sold, but prints are available. See the link below.


This is a pencil drawing of a Moon Bear (an Asiatic species).


"White Rose" is a drawing on black scratchboard.

The three ACEOs above are currently available on Bonanza. Click here for the ACEO section of my Bonanza shop.

I usually list new ACEOs on eBay, those that don't sell go to my Bonanzle store. To get a first look at new ACEOs, you can visit my blog where I post my latest offerings. You can either subscribe to get e-mail updates or just grab the feed.
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These two have already sold, but I wanted to share:

She's Got Legs - mini drawing
"She's Got Legs" is graphite pencil with color pencil on the giraffe's legs.

Gimme Some - mini color pencil drawing
"Gimme Some" a color pencil drawing of 2 goats.

My Art on eBay

Seller Name: drawdog5

I have a store on eBay and I list some of my art in eBay auctions. Look for prints, earrings, magnets, note cards and ACEO originals. See the section above for more information about ACEOs (aka Art Trading Cards).
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Art for Critters - Art Sales to Help Animals


I'm proud to be a member and co-leader of "Art for Critters", a group of artists who sell their work on eBay and other on-line sites and regularly donate a portion of the sales to various animal rescue & support organizations. I'm honored and happy to be a part of this team of talented, supportive and charitable artists!

There are 2 ways to make donations from eBay sales - through their "Giving Works" program or by having a previous arrangement with a specific charity and posting a letter from that charity in the auction listing.

The Giving Works program is coordinated through MissionFish. When a seller lists an item on eBay, they can choose to select a charity from a list provided by MissionFish and then specify the percentage of the final sale to donate. Giving Works auctions have this symbol next to the auction title.

I have a selection of items at auction and fixed price on eBay that benefit animal charities. By being a member of A4C, I can support additional animal charities approved by A4C as I have access to the required letters from these organizations.

My A4C auctions on eBay

All A4C auctions on eBay

For links to all sites where A4C members list their work to benefit animals visit this page of the A4C web site.

Buying Art Online

The internet is an amazing place and it opens up the world as a marketplace for artists. I sell my art online at a number of locations - check out my favorite links list below to find out where.

Check out my other Squidoo lens for more info about buying art on line.

My Favorite Links!

Pet & Animal Art and Gifts & More. . .

My Main Web Site
Find out more about me and my art. Lots of samples and info!
Find out more about my Custom Pet Portraits
I accept commissions for custom pet portraits in my "Paintings with Petzazz" interpretive style or a realistic style. I work in watercolor, mixed media or ink on scratchboard - depending on the style.
My Bonanza Shop
Bonanza is similar to eBay. When I closed my eBay store, I moved the merchandise to Bonanza.
You'll find reproduction prints, earrings, magnets, note cards, originals and more.
My Etsy Shop
All the listings on this art sales site are hand made by the artists who sell there. You can find my ACEOs and other originals, prints, cards & earrings here.
My CafePress Shop
Colorful merchandise featuring my pet & animal art. Some veggie art too! Great gifts for animal lovers - find a gift for yourself or someone you love :)
My Zazzle Shop
I found Zazzle when I was looking for a site that offered square magnets for my square-format art. I have plenty of magnets offered there and I'm adding more items as I have time.
My Artfire Shop
Artfire is a new site that offers hand-crafted art and supplies. Similar to Etsy, but structured a bit differently. I've just set up shop, so I don't have a lot there yet.
My Blog
Find out what's happening in my world: events, latest portraits & projects, thoughts about animals & art, etc. (Check out the RSS Feed in the next section to see the latest posts.)
Follow me on Twitter
A snapshot of what I'm doing throughout the day. Peppered with random thoughts and links to my latest art.
Pet Art Gifts
A selection of gifts featuring pet & animal art.
Art by Us - Real Art. Real Artists.
A site where artists list their work for sale. I occasionally list some items, but haven't been very active there.
Auburn Old Town Gallery
A wonderful co-op Gallery run by a talented group of artists. Our gallery consists of local and regional artists who show their work and staff the gallery. It's a great place to get a unique and special gift of art for yourself or someone else. Located in the historic Old Town section of Auburn, CA
My DotPhoto Album
Check out my photos and buy prints.
My YouTube Channel
Videos of my art and works in progress. Also check out my "favorites" list to see other art-related YouTube videos. Some animal videos too, of course!
Facebook
Find me on Facebook
A lot more links
This is the links page of my web site. It features links to my clients, art info & animal info.

My Stuff on CafePress!!

Great gifts for yourself or others from my CafePress shop

Fun art on fun merchandise - mugs, tote bags, all types of t-shirts, magnets, tile coasters and more! An assortment of art too: chickens, dogs, cats, horses, llamas, veggies. . .
You can design & sell your own CafePress merchandise too - click here to find out more.
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FieldHaven Feline Rescue Stuff on CafePress

Purchase items from the FieldHaven shop and help with their cat rescue and adoption efforts. I designed their logo.
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. . . And Speaking of Animal Charities

my personal faves

These organizations are dedicated to helping our animal friends.

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Greyhound Friends For Life - Racing Greyhound Adoption and Advocacy

This Northern California Greyhound adoption organization more...1 point

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Old Dog Haven

Helping senior dogs in their golden years1 point

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FieldHaven Feline Rescue, Adoption and Sanctuary

Our feline rescue and adoption organization offers more...1 point

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A New Hope Animal Foundation

A New Hope works to improve the lives of shelter a more...1 point

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Chako Pit Bull Rescue

Pit Bull rescue & education.1 point

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AAARF (Auburn Area Animal Rescue Foundation)

A rescue organization in Auburn, CA. We adopted on more...1 point

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Placer SPCA

PSPCA is dedicated to improving the lives of anima more...0 points

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The SF/SPCA

San Francisco SPCA0 points

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NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue of Northern California

NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue is a non-profit, al more...0 points

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The Grace Foundation - Equine Rescue

An equine rescue and rehabilitation facility that more...0 points

created by PaintDog

My Zazzle Shop

Many of my Petzazz paintings and some of my drawings are in square format, so I was happy to discover that Zazzle offers square magnets! You'll find an assortment of square magnets and other items in my Zazzle shop. Visit my CafePress shop for a larger assortment of merchandise.
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Subscribe to My e-Newsletter

If you'd like to sign up to receive my art e-newsletter, Click here for the archives and a link to subscribe.

I try to send a newsletter every two months, and perhaps an additional announcement every so often if it's something really neat.


Email Marketing by iContact

Read My Blog

Info about upcoming events, portraits in progress, recently finished work, etc.

Lots of photos! Sometimes lots of text, but interspersed with lots of photos!
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My Facebook Fan Page

Buy Fine Art Materials & Craft Supplies

Great prices & selection

A member of the www.DickBlick.com - Online Art Supplies affiliate program

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Art & Craft supplies at Joann.com (affiliate program member)

Tools for Artists from Amazon.com

A great little (affordable) monitor calibrator and some of my favorite watercolor books

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Books About Animals from Amazon.com

Some of my Favorites

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Got Comments? Reader Feedback

Comments, Questions, Ideas - add 'em here. . .

  • profilesincolor Jul 17, 2011 @ 8:30 am | delete
    Wow, Lovely! :-)
  • trueimage Feb 25, 2011 @ 7:20 am | delete
    your work is lovely...I love your ACEO's, they are really well made
  • DallasNicole Jan 17, 2011 @ 11:58 pm | delete
    Beautiful art work here! Like it so much I must leave a blessing behind~
  • ddixonart Oct 12, 2010 @ 7:41 am | delete
    Thank you for explaining Yupo...I have to try that now!
  • mllamb46 Mar 17, 2008 @ 5:19 pm | delete
    Hi Ann! Thanks for the nice comments. I REALLY enjoyed this lens. You are so versatile in your work. I especially enjoyed all the step by step links.
    ~Melody
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PaintDog

Artist & Illustrator in Northern CA.
Pet/Animal Portraits & Nature Illustrations, Graphic Design, Web Design more »

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