PET PORTRAITS

Artwork by Nicholas Beall & Melanie Phillips

Archive for January, 2012

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Mon 30 Jan 2012

Chocolates..Lunch..Snow and the next stages of Nicks Portrait!

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress
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I had such a wonderful surprise from one of my students this weekend, they sent me a huge box of lovely chocolates in the post to thank me for all the help I gave them during  their time studying on my Pet Portrait Diploma course. I was sooo surprised and thrilled too : ) Its lovely when students –  and I’m talking about my students in general really, work really hard through the course and you can see that they really have taken on board the advice given and also gained confidence in their artwork and ability to paint and draw. A good grounding in drawing is imperative for any artist, the fundamentals! So if any budding artists are reading this keep drawing and experimenting!

Nick and I also took Saturday off, I had a few things to do at mums and then we went to a local seaside town for lunch and came home and watched tv and a film, what a relaxing day and just what I needed to really feel better. Days off are so important, working from home and being self employed, you really can end up working from the moment you get up to when you go to bed 7 days a week, even just being on call for emails and sorting things out. So the only real way to take a day off is to venture out and about.

We had a snow shower on Sunday, which Tom loved, we took him in the fields and he spent the entire time jumping 4 foot in the air catching the snow falling from the sky! The snow hasn’t really settled on the roads so we aren’t snowed in thank goodness but its lovely to have a flurry every now and again. Its going to be bitterly cold this week apparently.

Nick has very nearly completed the portrait of Jackie and Max and I am hoping to scan it in tomorrow. I am also starting a portrait of Eleanor the Jack Russell, I have already drawn her out, this one will be a 20 x 16 montage and its coming along well so I will post again tomorrow with more news from the studio! Enjoy your day!

Jackie and Max Oil Portrait nearly finished!

Jackie and Max Oil Portrait nearly finished!

Jackie and Max Portrait Nearly Finished!

Jackie and Max Portrait Nearly Finished!

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Thu 26 Jan 2012

Bugs and paintings!

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress
[6] Comments

Hello Everyone!

I am a little behind with the blog as I have been under the weather with a bug. Started off being freezing cold but had no other signs other than being tired so I have been taking it a bit easy over the last week to recuperate. I have been pottering around the studio keeping things running doing mock-ups and emails. I’m feeling much better now so catching up with the blog and preparing to start the montage of Eleanor : )

Nick has been fine and working away at the painting of Jackie and Max so here are the stages so far…..! I’ll probably have another post over the weekend.

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

Next stages of Jackie and Max oil painting

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Thu 19 Jan 2012

Jackie and Max first stages

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress
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Here are the first stages of Nicks current portrait of Jackie and Max. Its an oil on linen painting at 20 x 16 and he has just created the under stages, but it already has a nice feeling to the painting viewing it here in the studio. I will have more stages to blog tomorrow!

First stages of Jackie and Max 20 x 16 oil on linen painted by Nick

First stages of Jackie and Max 20 x 16 oil on linen painted by Nick

First stages of Jackie and Max 20 x 16 oil on linen painted by Nick

First stages of Jackie and Max 20 x 16 oil on linen painted by Nick

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Tue 17 Jan 2012

Wonderful Collie Painting in Oils…..

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress, Dog Portraits
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Nick has been working really had on this painting and I think its just wonderful. Its a 14 x 10 portrait in oils on linen and looks stunning here in the studio. I have added all of the stage and the final scan below and it will go onto the website when i do my next round of updates in about a months time.

I have also been asked to update the Milnthorpe Art exhibition website I look after. I created it last year for a friend and they wanted some changes so I gave it a bit of an overhaul today. If you would like to see it you can visit it here - http://www.milnthorpe-artexhibition.co.uk/

Nick has already started on the portrait of Jackie and Max and I will post the first stages tomorrow.

Collie Oil Portrait by Nick Beall

Collie Oil Portrait by Nick Beall

Collie Oil Portrait by Nick Beall

Collie Oil Portrait by Nick Beall

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

Stages of the Collie Portrait

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Mon 16 Jan 2012

Lilly Framed

Posted by Melanie Phillips under Frames & Prints
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Here are Lillys photos of the portrait framed and the portrait should be with the client first thing tomorrow! We are really pleased with this moulding, Jane our framer has some new ranges and this is one of them. It works so well for Lilly and the linen slip compliments it very well. More tomorrow, all the stages of the two collies portraits and hopefully the final scan! Back soon!

Lilly's Portrait Framed here in the studio.

Lilly's Portrait Framed here in the studio.

Lilly's Portrait Framed here in the studio.

Lilly's Portrait Framed here in the studio.

Lilly's Portrait Framed here in the studio.

Lilly's Portrait Framed here in the studio.

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Fri 13 Jan 2012

Accounts, Paintings and Tom

Posted by Melanie Phillips under Our Personal News, Our Studio News
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I haven’t blogged at all this week as I have been busy collating and balancing the yearly accounts, it is a job I have to do at the start of every New Year and they are now completed and in the safe hands of our accountant.

Nick has been working really hard on the double Collie portrait and I will have some new stages and hopefully a final scan within the next few days. I also have just collected Lilly’s portrait from Jane the framer, and I hope to add some photos to the website and blog soon.

Last weekend was quite a successful one with regards to Tom’s training, we haven’t been able to take Tom out to see his little friend Meg for many months as her owner had to have a new knee, and we finally met up with them at a nearby National Trust mansion and grounds, where we could let Tom and Meg off together so that they could run around. We were quite apprehensive as we have not let Tom off the lead to run around with another dog since completing his training with the behaviourist, mainly because work has been extremely busy with portraits on the run-up to Christmas, and the weather has been pretty bad here so this was our first chance. It went fantastically, Tom didn’t bark once and although he didn’t want to get near to Meg to sniff her they both ran around the field enjoying the freedom keeping an eye on each other. Meg has been very good for Tom, she has seen him at his absolute worst, in a barking frenzy, so she is a little wary of him, but now she I think sees him slightly differently as he is pretty much a changed dog! Being both Collies they did try to round each other up a little, but hopefully we will go again next week and run them together. We are going to try to take the opportunity to walk with our friends this month as our friend has to go in for another operation soon and will be out of action for another few months, so we will be making the most of our meetings!

Now the accounts are complete I intend to do a Spring clean on my computer and make sure everything is backed up, catch up with my students assessments and then start back drawing at my easel. I hope that everyone is having a good start to the New Year and we hope that you’ll have a good weekend!

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Sat 7 Jan 2012

Final Scan of Lilly

Posted by Melanie Phillips under Dog Portraits
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Here is the final scan of Lilly, I will be adding her to the website gallery soon! Nick painted her at 14 x 10 in oils on linen canvas. A quick post today, longer post tomorrow!

Final Scan of Lilly by Nicholas Beall - 14 x 10 oil on linen

Final Scan of Lilly by Nicholas Beall - 14 x 10 oil on linen

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Fri 6 Jan 2012

New Rescue Chickens and paintings…

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress
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Here is the next stage of Lilly’s portrait, Nick is currently painting her at 14 x 10 in oils on linen. I hope to have a scan over the weekend. I have also caught up on all of my college assessments today, some students have had to wait an extra week as we had a few days off over christmas but I have happy studnets once again so it feels good to gt back into the swing of things and help people with their artwork and portraits.

The next news is that I picked up three new ex battery hens yesterday evening and let them out in their new surroundings this morning. The poor things are in such a state. NEVER buy battery eggs from the supermarkets. I know that its all been stopped now, but if you are buying eggs please make sure they are as free range as you can find. The poor hens have hardly any feathers, far worse than the two we got last year, and they are pretty weak, so sad to see. They seem to be taking it in their stride though as everything is very new to them, although two of our other hens don’t quite like them at the moment, the bossy two (Bunty and Ginger) so they are separate at the moment until the new hens recover a bit. I will try to take some photos of them, but I will leave it a while until they start looking a bit perkier. I will keep everyone updated with them anyway : )

Next Stage to Lilly's Painting

Next Stage to Lilly's Painting

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Wed 4 Jan 2012

Next stages of Lilly

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress
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Here are the next stages of Lilly, its been a bustling day here in the studio so this is a quick post – more to follow tomorrow!

Next stages of Lilly

Next stages of Lilly

Next stages of Lilly

Next stages of Lilly

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Tue 3 Jan 2012

Tidy Tuesday

Posted by Melanie Phillips under All Work in Progress
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Here is the next stage of Nicks portrait. I have been tidying up all of our outstanding emails today and I think Im nearly caught up. Added a couple more cleints to the list below so tomorrow I can hopefully start on the yearly accounts. Nick has also finally rewritten his about him page, he has been meaning to do it for the last 8 months or so and its all finally done : ) So if you would like to read about him and view the new photos he has added have a peek here – Nicholas Beall >>

Next stage of Lilly

Next stage of Lilly

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