Michelle Wrighton Fine Art and Photography

Finally here is the last of the graphite pencil drawings I did before my daughters accident, its taken a while to post it I know, but better late than never;)

This image is a photograph of the drawing, I had quite a bit of trouble getting a suitable image of this one, my scanner made it look very scratching and textured and even the photograph (although better than the scan) looks to have more texture than the original drawing which actually has smooth blended pencil strokes and much smoother tonal transitions.

Cricket - Thoroughbred Horse Pet Portrait sketch © 2010 Michelle Wrighton

I have some new graphite horse drawings (Clydesdales in harness) and a freisian cow that I hope to start on next week – or at least as soon as I finish a couple of digital portraits that I am still working on that are just not coming together the way I want them too.

I’ve also started to throw some paint on canvas in order to learn some new painting techniques – I’ve lost enthusiasm for painting in thin glazes (layers) and taking weeks on end to finish a painting so I plan to develop my skills painting alla prima/wet in wet and also plein air landscapes.  Suffice it to say that at the moment I think it was easier to paint photo-realistically (you just paint what you see)  than it is to paint more…painterly with less detail and more textured brushstrokes while still creating an end result that looks like what its meant to look like (as opposed to looking like an abstract pile of mud!) I would love to follow in the footsteps of the Daily Painters and create a small painting every day as that is the best way to develop new skills and techniques, as well as see tangible development over time.  I know that I can’t commit to a daily painting, but I do have a goal in mind of 100 small paintings in this new, less detailed , more painterly ‘loose’ style – not sure how long it will take to complete, but as they say its the journey thats important not the destination, so as long as I enjoy the process and learn something along the way then its time well spent.

I am finally catching up to date with my blog posts, just a few more to do now:)  This is Ralphie, the first pet portrait I have painted in my “Inspire me to Paint” series.

Ralphie was a very special rescue dog and survivor of Hurricane Katrina who passed away in March of this year. Ralphies story submitted by his owner Dana can be read on my facebook page Michelle Wrighton Artist.

Ralphie - Pet Portrait ©2010 Michelle Wrighton

I was a very good little blogger and had this post of a black and tan Saluki Dog that I drew in graphite all ready to post a day or so after my lamb drawing.  However, life was turned upside down when my little girl was involved in a serious horse riding accident.  She was rushed by air to Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth by the Royal Fying Doctor Service and underwent emergency surgery in the middle of the night.  It will take time, but she was extremely lucky and should make a full recovery (LOL and now that she is starting to feel better she is quite happy to have an extra few weeks off school;).

My intention over the past few weeks with getting my new studio sorted out was to start promoting my commission work and start taking pet portrait commissions again.  However the timing of this accident has giving me time to think about both the past and the future.  I have realized that there have been so many similar situations over the years that has made working to deadlines for commissions very stressful and at time simply beyond reasonable possibility.  This has caused additional stress  that my family and I really don’t need while dealing with long term serious health issues that on many occasions over the last seven years have been life threatening.

I have looked back at the last few years and have reassessed my future plans for my art.  I realize that the last 12 months of painting digitally and my recent graphite drawings that I have created for myself from whatever has inspired me has been wonderfully enjoyable stress-free therapy.  Given my personal circumstances, the happiness and ‘time out’  that my artwork brings me is something that I desperately need to retain for my own sanity and health.  So by posting this, I am publicly giving myself permission to just enjoy my art, to experiment and create whatever inspires me in which ever medium I feel like using, without the need to be concerned that the end result will meet anyone elses expectations.  For a commissions artist, that thought is quite a liberating one!

Saluki Dog graphite drawing by Michelle Wrighton ©2010

Another graphite sketch, this is Lucky Baa, our first Dorper lamb.  Baa was also the first ‘pet’ lamb that we have had to bring inside and bottle feed for the first few days as the poor little tyke broke his right front leg.  Apparently its not uncommon for the mother to step on the lamb and break its leg, which is what we suspect happened with Baa.  We made up an assortment of leg splints from carpet and pvc piping cut in half  and wrapped the leg with vet wrap and kept changing the splint as he grew.  Having a splinted leg certainly dosn’t stop him from doing anything the other lambs are doing!

Dorper Lamb graphite drawing

Thanks for visiting my blog  and sharing my art and photography with your family and friends!

x Michelle

Michelle Wrighton: Animal, Wildlife & Landscape Fine Art & Photography

FACEBOOK: Michelle Wrighton Artist

TWITTER: artistMichelleW

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Well I tried very hard to get into my studio to start a painting, but with school holidays, kids, horses, sheep dogs and an assortment of others things (including my little studio laptop that I use to display reference photos dying unexpectedly) I haven’t made it into the studio to actually paint.  The website re-design is also taking up some time, but once that is ready my website will revert back to being a full ‘static’ website with this blog part of the website.

In between everything else, I have managed a couple of graphite sketches to help me get back into the swing of things. I was a bit rusty at first as I haven’t done any graphite work for a couple of years, but these sketches have reminded me why I love graphite so much.  I have deliberately created these as sketches rather than detailed photorealistic drawings and have found that not focusing on achieving strict photorealism has made the process so much more enjoyable and I can definitely see myself doing a lot more work that while still realistic is looser and more expressive that the traditional work I have created in the past.   LOL I am sure that being able to start and finish a drawing within five hours instead of slaving over it for 50 hours is partly why I enjoyed it more!

Border Collie puppy graphite drawing on A4 drafting film by Michelle Wrighton

If you would like to commission a pencil portrait graphite sketch in this style of your own Border Collie, dog, cat, horse or other pet please contact me to discuss your requirements.

Thanks for visiting my blog  and sharing my art and photography with your family and friends!

x Michelle

Michelle Wrighton: Animal, Wildlife & Landscape Fine Art & Photography

FACEBOOK: Michelle Wrighton Artist

TWITTER: artistMichelleW

BUY CUSTOMIZED ART POSTERS, ART PRINTS, T-SHIRTS & GIFTS: Zazzle

BUY CARDS, PHOTO PRINTS, CANVAS ART AND FRAMED ART PRINTS: Redbubble

I am slowly resigning myself to the idea that the ‘challenges’ of country wireless internet means I can’t necessarily update my blog whenever its suitable to me and that blog posts are probably better late than never. So in that spirit, this is an older digital painting of Annabelle, a black Standard Poodle, with a step by step progress demonstration image to show how the painting was created.

Black Standard Poodle Pet Portrait Painting

Although painted digitally using my Intuos 4 drawing tablet and ‘digital’ paintbrush, I develop the painting digitally just like I do when painting or drawing with traditional art mediums. I sketch the subject, and then start adding colour by blocking in the main shapes and values (shadows and highlights), and ‘glaze’ with varying degrees of transparent colour to create depth and form. Finally the details are added to complete the painting.

Painting in Progress images Black Standard Poodle

If you would like to commission a portrait of your poodle or other pet in traditional oil paints, graphite/charcoal or a digital painting such as this one, please contact me to discuss your requirements.

Many people have never thought of having a portrait of their pet dog, cat, horse or other favourite animal painted, or plan to but never get around to it and there are also who love the idea but may not be able to afford to commission a portrait.

I’ve come up with an idea that I think will be a lot of fun for me and will give everyone a chance to have there own pet portrait painted for free! That’s right, I will paint pet portraits for free!

All you have to do is submit your favourite photo’s to my Facebook page – Michelle Wrighton Artist - and inspire me to paint your pet’s portrait! Dog, cat, horse, cow, lizard, bird – if you have an animal that is a big part of your life, let me know what makes him or her so special to you and tell me a little bit about their unique character and personality. If your photo inspires me to paint, I will send you a digital image of the finished portrait for you to have printed or share online with your friends.

The catch, the Cost and the Conditions? Ha! You were waiting for it wern’t you?

The catch?

I would like you to share my website url / facebook page with your friends and family – but only the ones that would be interested in paintings or prints, I hate spam as much as the next person! I’m not sure how many free portraits I will paint, or how long I will continue with this project for, so if you are interested, don’t delay in joining in!

The cost?

If your photo inspires me to paint, I really won’t charge you anything for the image I send you by email. But I would like you to pay it forward and make a small donation to one of the animal rescue organisations listed on my Facebook page. In your name and you can usually get a tax deduction for donations over $2.00. Consider it your random act of kindness for the day (btw I’m not interested in checking up to see if you donated or not).

The conditions:

Entry is free and is open to members of my Facebook Page – Michelle Wrighton Artist only. Photos need to be added to photo album on my Facebook page only. Submitting a photo signifies that you have copyright ownership and permission to use it – this usually means you took the photo! Submitting a photo signifies your permission for me to use the photo as reference for artwork that may be publicly displayed and offered for sale (original or prints).

Submitting a photo does not guarantee your pet portrait will be painted or that it will be painted within a set time frame. I have three children, a husband with a serious illness, five horses, five dogs, 2 cats, fifteen sheep and a dozen chickens to look after which means as much as I’d like to, I can’t paint 24/7:) Besides, I want this project to remain fun, not work!

So join the page, submit your photos, tell your friends and INSPIRE ME TO PAINT!

Oh, and if you are involved in an animal rescue organisation (dogs, cats, rabbits horses, wildlife) and would like to join this project, please let me know!

Thanks for visiting my blog  and sharing my art and photography with your family and friends!

x Michelle

Michelle Wrighton: Animal, Wildlife & Landscape Fine Art & Photography

FACEBOOK: Michelle Wrighton Artist

TWITTER: artistMichelleW

SHOP CUSTOMIZED ART PRINTS, T-SHIRTS & GIFTS: Zazzle

SHOP CARDS, MATTED, LAMINATED AND FRAMED ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTS: Redbubble

Sophie is a gorgeous Shih Tzu puppy that I had the opportunity to photograph several years ago. Sophie’s all grown up now, so taking a trip back in time to capture her cheeky puppy personality in this painting was alot of fun!

Shih Tzu’s are an intelligent, active toy breed whose ancestry is rather obscure. Believed to have originated in Tibet, they are the oldest and smallest of the Tibetan ‘holy dog’ breeds.  The breed is known for their naturally long, flowing coat, however, they do require a lot of grooming and care, so many pet Shih Tzu’s choose to have their coats clipped short for easy care.

Shih Tzu puppy portrait

Greeting cards, laminated, matted, canvas and framed prints of “Sophie in The Sunshine” can be purchased from my Redbubble giftshop:

Thanks for visiting my blog  and sharing my art and photography with your family and friends!

x Michelle

Michelle Wrighton: Animal, Wildlife & Landscape Fine Art & Photography

FACEBOOK: Michelle Wrighton Artist

TWITTER: artistMichelleW

SHOP CUSTOMIZED ART PRINTS, T-SHIRTS & GIFTS: Zazzle

SHOP CARDS, MATTED, LAMINATED AND FRAMED ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTS: Redbubble

Italian Greyhounds would have to be one of the most elegant and delicate looking breed of dogs and they have the most beautiful eyes! Italian Greyhounds, or “Iggy’s” as they are affectionately called, are the smallest of the sighthound family and despite their Toy breed classification and companion dog status, many still retain the instinct to chase small animals and birds!

The breed has a long and noble history spanning thousands of years.  Mummified remains of dogs similar to Italian Greyhounds have been excavated from the tombs of the Pharaoh’s in the Valley of Kings and it is believed that the breed originated in Egypt around 3000BC.  These small hounds were taken to the  Mediterranean by the Romans around 600 BC, and because of their popularity in Italy during the middle ages, they became known as Italian Greyhounds and were frequent companions to European Royalty and Aristocracy including Mary Queen of Scots, Charles 1, Catherine the great and Queen Victoria.  This elegant breed has been portrayed in art throughout the centuries from paintings to carvings and ceramic statues.

I strive to capture the essence of the individual animal in my artwork and so much of this is conveyed through the eyes, which are what compelled me to paint this gorgeous Italian Greyhound from a photo reference by fellow artist C. Sheeter.  I hope I have captured that unique spark in ‘Magnifico’.

Magnifico - Italian Greyhound Portrait Painting by Michelle Wrighton

Art prints and gifts featuring my Italian Greyhound Painting ‘Magnifico’ will be available for purchase shortly.

Thanks for visiting my blog  and sharing my art and photography with your family and friends!

x Michelle

Michelle Wrighton: Animal, Wildlife & Landscape Fine Art & Photography

FACEBOOK: Michelle Wrighton Artist

TWITTER: artistMichelleW

SHOP CUSTOMIZED ART PRINTS, T-SHIRTS & GIFTS: Zazzle

SHOP CARDS, MATTED, LAMINATED AND FRAMED ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTS: Redbubble

Busy, Busy Busy!  It seems like there is never enough hours in the day to get everything done – and that is my excuse for not updating my blog more regularly and I’m sticking to it!   One of the big things that is taking alot of time -many, many, many months – is a BIG PROJECT that is slowly nearing completion (click the link and follow me on Twitter for the announcement on that one).

I’ve also got a few new paintings to add to the blog, and a couple more that I am still working on, one of a dog painting, the other a horse and rider that is not flowing the way I would like it too, maybe a few days break from that one over easter will allow me too look at it again with fresh eyes.

Several people have asked how I complete my digital paintings with my graphics tablet and stylus, so I’ve also been working on a small series of articles explaining the different types of digital art and the process that I use to create my digital portrait paintings – some people seem to think that digital paintings are ‘one-click’ photoshop effects, but that explanation couldn’t be further from the truth!

In the meantime (because I have to run and feed the horses their breakfast!) this is a pet portrait painting I have recently completed of my gorgeous Border Collie dog, Taj (yes a painting for me!).  This is one of those paintings that just flowed without interuption, I suspect because I know the subject so well:)  Taj is a rather extroverted character, he’s never met a stranger and is such a show-off, he loves posing for the camera and really is the perfect photograhic and art model!  It may run in the family, because one of his uncles is the Border Collie in the Better Homes & Gardens television commercial.

Border Collie Dog Breed art by Michelle Wrighton

Prints of Taj’s portrait painting will be available for purchase from Redbubble and Zazzle shortly.

Thanks for visiting my blog  and sharing my art and photography with your family and friends!

x Michelle

Michelle Wrighton: Animal, Wildlife & Landscape Fine Art & Photography

FACEBOOK: Michelle Wrighton Artist

TWITTER: artistMichelleW

SHOP CUSTOMIZED ART PRINTS, T-SHIRTS & GIFTS: Zazzle

SHOP CARDS, MATTED, LAMINATED AND FRAMED ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY PRINTS: Redbubble