Pet & Animal Art - Paintings with Petzazz & More
Ranked #6,195 in Arts , #157,001 overall | Donates to Humane Society of the United States
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 Aquabord (formerly Claybord Textured).
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.
After a couple of years of requests, I'm now teaching workshops in watercolor on Yupo through one of my local adult schools.
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
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.
Scratchboard Books on Amazon.com
Scratchboard for Illustration
A terrific book about scratchboard - my all-time favorite!
Note This!
Visit my blog to find out the latest scoop on my art, animal events and other stuff :)
New Art
My latest originals

A commissioned watercolor on Yupo portrait of Ripple, a poodle mix.

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

A commissioned ink on scratchboard portrait of Ginger, a friend's cattle dog mix.

A commissioned mixed media portrait of Gaby the German Shepherd.

A pencil drawing of an American Pit Bull Terrier. 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 Pit Prints Rescue for providing the reference photo for this drawing. This was not a commission, but the original has sold - I do have magnets and note cards though.
ACEOs - Affordable, Collectible Mini Works of Art
ACEO = "Art Cards, Editions & Originals"
I started creating ACEOs in December of '06 and have created over 50 of them and have sold most of those. 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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"Dog of the Dead" is my take on the Dia de los Muertos style. This one's in ink & color pencil on illustration board.

This is a pencil drawing of a cat with a very interesting facial pattern.

"White Rose" is a drawing on black scratchboard.
The three ACEOs above are currently available on Etsy (click on the image to find out more).
I usually list new ACEOs on eBay, those that don't sell go to my eBay store or to my Etsy shop. 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" is graphite pencil with color pencil on the giraffe's legs.

"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).
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byArt for Critters - Art Sales to Help Animals
Search "A4C" on eBay to find art that benefits 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 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
I have a selection of items in my eBay store and at auction that benefit animal charities either through MissionFish or A4C. By being a member of A4C, I can support additional animal charities approved by A4C and I have access to the required letters from these organizations.
My A4C auctions
My Giving Works auctions
All A4C auctions
Etsy for Animals - More Art Sales to Help Animals

I'm also a member of Etsy for Animals!
Etsy.com is another site where you can find great art. All items are handmade by the artists who sell there. One of the many groups on Etsy is "Etsy for Animals" - a team of artists who donate a portion of the proceeds from their sales to animal charities.
I've listed a number of items in my Etsy shop to benefit animal charities. Click here to find them.
Visit the EFA web site
. . . And Speaking of Animal Charities
my personal faves
These organizations are dedicated to helping our animal friends.
Greyhound Friends For Life - Racing Greyhound Adoption and Advocacy
This Northern California Greyhound adoption organi more...1 point
FieldHaven Feline Rescue, Adoption and Sanctuary
Our feline rescue and adoption organization offers more...1 point
Placer SPCA
PSPCA is dedicated to improving the lives of anima more...0 points
Old Dog Haven
Helping senior dogs in their golden years0 points
Leaps & Bounds Rabbit Rescue
0 points
Team FUR - Rabbit Rescue
0 points
Sacramento SPCA
0 points
Happy Tails Sanctuary
0 points
Habitat for Horses
Habitat for Horses, Inc. is a non-profit working w more...0 points
Horses' Honor
0 points
The SF/SPCA
San Francisco SPCA0 points
PugSavers - Pug Rescue
0 points
NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue of Northern California
NORCAL Golden Retriever Rescue is a non-profit, al more...0 points
Art on eBay - Part 1
Info and Links
Here are the eBay artists' groups to which I belong:
Art Squared/art2 - square format art up to 14". To find art in this format, search listings for "art squared" or "art2". Visit the Art Squared web site.
Small Format Art (SFA) - art that's no more than 14" on one side. To find art in this format, search listings for "SFA". Visit the SFA web site
ACEO/ATC Enthusiasts - A number of artists offer ACEO listings - small original pieces measuring 2.5"x3.5" - also known as Art Trading Cards. An affordable and fun way to start collecting original art. ACEO stands for "Art Card Editions and Originals". When artists list these little gems, they put ACEO in the title, so it's easy to search eBay for them. There's also an ACEO Enthusiasts web site.
YBA - Year's Best ACEO Awards, aka ACEO Addix
K9 Dog Art Show - Artists "creating Doggone Good art".
Scratchboard Artists (SBA) - a group of artists who work in scratchboard (one of my favorite mediums). Visit the SBA web site.
All About Color Pencil - our new acronym is CPAC (Color Pencil Artists and Collectors) - we're going to start using this in our auction listings. Visit the color pencil art web site.
Art for Critters (A4C) - artists who donate proceeds from art sales to benefit animal charities. Visit the A4C web site.
Often, a single piece of art will fit into a couple different categories - for example, I often paint small, square format pieces - so one of those could be categorized as SFA AND Art2. Technically, an ACEO is also an SFA, but ACEO suffices for listing purposes because there's a whole group of collectors looking specifically for ACEOs.
Check out my other Squidoo lens for more info about buying art on line.
Adorable (and Good) Little Video Camera!
Get it at Amazon
Click here to check out the first video I made with this cool little camera!
And Now You Can Get a Flip Mino Customized With My Art
Pretty cool, eh? Well, at least I think so!
The Flip Mino is slightly different than the Flip Ultra offered in the Amazon section above, but I haven't really done the research to find out what the difference is.
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!
- 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 Web Site Store
- Prints, note cards, earrings, magnets and more featuring my art. Buy direct from me and pay via PayPal.
- 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 eBay Store
- Check out the ACEO originals, matted prints, earrings, magnets and note cards in my store.
- 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 Zazzle Shop
- I recently found out about Zazzle - I was looking for a site that offered square magnets for my square-format art. Zazzle is it!
- 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.
- More ACEOs
- Find a few of my ACEOs here.
- 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.
- The Pet Gazette
- A quarterly publication for the responsible pet owner - this is the web version. They occasionally feature my art on the cover.
- 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!
- My Space Page
- Sign up to be one of my friends and receive occasional bulletins about my art and the latest listings on eBay.
- A lot more links
- This is the links page of my web site. It features links to my clients, art info & animal info.
Some of My Photos . . .
. . . and links to info about pet photography


See more photos on my web site.
Read my tips on taking good pet photos:
My photo guidelines document
Click here to read an article I wrote about pet photography that appeared in the Sacramento Pet Gazette.
Also check out this Squidoo group: EverythingPhotography
My Stuff on CafePress!!
Great gifts for yourself or others from my CafePress shop
You can design & sell your own CafePress merchandise too - click here to find out more.
Cattitude Rectangle Magnet
The text says: "Don't like my Cattitude? Call 1-800-Get-a-Dog"
More Great Stuff on CafePress
FieldHaven Feline Rescue Shop
Tile Coaster
Alice in the lilac bush
My Zazzle Shop
Subscribe to My e-Newsletter
My first monthly e-newsletter went out in April 2009. Click here for the archives.
I plan to send a newsletter each month, 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!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byFollow Me on Twitter
where I'm AnnRan5

- AnnRan5
- aka Ann Ranlett
- 1,056 followers
- 1,057 following
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- Another crazy day, but Dad's doing better at least. Today's drama was trying 2 coordinate discharge date w/arrangements for his new place.
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- Ummmm, what's up with following 2,002 people, having 876 followers & no updates? Why on earth would I want to follow you back?
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- Completely wiped out. Meh & bleh. Dad's been in the hospital (again) since Tuesday. Worrying, stressing and coordinating lots of stuff.
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- BIG thanks to @theEquinest!!! She interviewed me for her blog: www.theequinest.com/ann-ranlett
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- @CWcolors @MelodyLeaLamb Thanks. Just taking it one step/thing/issue at a time. Feeling very drained though :(
Buy Fine Art Materials & Craft Supplies
Great prices & selection
Tools for Artists from Amazon.com
A great little (affordable) monitor calibrator and some of my favorite watercolor books
Pantone huey MEU101
A reasonably priced (under $100) monitor calibrator - really helpful if you do your own printing.
Books About Animals from Amazon.com
Some of my Favorites
The Big Cats: The Paintings of Guy Coheleach
Stunning paintings of the big cats: tigers, lions, cheetahs, leopards, etc.
The World Of Robert Bateman
Masterful paintings of all kinds of critters
On-line Sources for Pet Foods, Supplies & Meds
Of course, since I love pets, I have pets - so I make sure they get the best!
Got Comments? Reader Feedback
Comments, Questions, Ideas - add 'em here. . .
mllamb46 wrote...
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
riff999 wrote...
You are very talented. I really enjoyed viewing your art. Best of luck. 5*
~Jane
PR-Sammi wrote...
You've done a lot fo work here and there is so much to check out... wow! The Yupo paper sounds cool too. I really like your pet photos as well.
d-artist wrote...
Ann, you do beautiful artwork! 5*s for u...
check out my art lens...
mllamb46 wrote...
Hi Ann!!! I gave you 5*s and lensrolled ya. :)
Many hugs,
Melody
Some Art Venues in Placer County
by PaintDog
Artist & Illustrator in Northern CA.
Pet & Animal Portraits & Illustrations, Nature Illustrations, Graphic Design, Web Design
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