Robyn Millar

Merry Christmas all!!

If you flash back to a week ago you’d see my studio covered in canvases, paint, wrapping & packing material! And just a couple days ago the final Xmas orders headed to their homes. Today my studio looks like this 🙂 – we do not have a tree set up in our tiny apartment, so this year I got festive with my art shelf and added lights & ornaments all over it 😀

It feels strange to have a bare studio after two full months of working on Xmas orders, and having them all hanging to dry on my shelf here looking back at me while I work. But I’ll be back at it come January of course! And I’ll be revealing the new Xmas pieces over the next week or so as I receive confirmation that the gifts have been opened. So be sure to keep an eye on my ‘Newest Work‘ tab of my website, or my Facebook Page. 🙂

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas day + rest of the holiday season! <3

A client contacted me a couple months back, and had a special request that I paint her cat – times two! Dharma had been her cat for many years, and then her sister’s cat. Dharma had a very long and very loved life, and when she passed this summer my client wanted to get a pet portrait painting done for herself, plus one for her sis which I thought was quite sweet!

So this weekend, my client gifted both paintings to her sister for her birthday so that she could pick out which one she wanted. And the paintings have matching backgrounds too! Purple, her sister’s favourite colour. So this whole scenario kind of reminds me of those bff pendants from back in the day that you split in half and gave one half to your bestie & got to keep the other half lol. On that note, I’m very curious to see who ends up with which painting! What a sweet gift between sisters <3

Full images of each painting can be viewed in my Pet Portrait Portfolio Gallery.

Ps – does Dharma not look like a long lost cousin to my cat Ratty?? Take a peek HERE. Gotta love tuxedo cats <3

This week the above painting went to its home, and it was given as a belated birthday gift between friends. The funny part is, last year I got to paint the same pup, but from the recipient to the gifter! So now each of them have a Cypee painting, which I think is cute 🙂

For both of these paintings of Cypee, I was asked to pick out the background colours. For years, my go-to colours were neutrals or some form of blue. But when I was first sent the pictures of Cypee, a red nosed pit bull, I immediately thought that a purple would look wonderful with her colouring! Here is that first piece below:

When I got to paint Cypee a 2nd time, my instinct was to still to do a purple background! But I figured that’d be too matchy matchy (not that they are going to be in the same place, but still lol). So I was sitting at my desk, thinking on colours… when I looked up and had the perfect answer staring me in the face!!

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WHEN: Sunday December 6th 2015, from 10am-3pm

WHERE: Sit Happens! Companion Dog Training, 2333 – 18 Avenue NE, Calgary AB

I’m excited to be invited back to “A VERY CANINE CHRISTMAS MARKET” again this year! This one-day event features a variety of dog-related vendors, with items for sale as well as informational talks. If you are in the Calgary area, be sure to pop by – admission is free!

BRING YOUR POOCH WITH YOU TOO!

You are allowed to bring your dogs to this market (leashes required), but please only bring them if they are comfortable in this type of environment (we definitely don’t want to see them get stressed out!).

I will be doing on site pet sketches at the market:

At my table I will be taking orders for custom pet sketches on the spot, which means they can even be completed on site while you browse!! I will have materials with me for 5×7 unframed sketches, as well as Christmas ornament versions (see pic above). A great gift idea, AND budget friendly (starting at $30 ea)! To read more on the available pet sketch styles, please click HERE for 5×7 info, and HERE for ornament info.

PRE-ORDERS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE! If you’d like a pet sketch to be ready for pick up at the event, please email me prior to the event & I can have that ready for you no prob 🙂 . For this option, please view ordering details HERE.

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After much thought, I have decided to discontinue my Circle Art Series. So that means… it’s SALE time, yaaa! All the remaining pieces in this series are now available at 50% off (starting as low as $30!), and they will be available for purchase until December 31st 2015!

A temporary page has been set up at robynmillar.com/SALE for the duration of the Circle Art Sale, which includes images of which pieces & sets are available, pricing, and dimensions etc. So please view that page HERE for all the juicy the details 🙂

For purchase inquiries, please email me via artbyrobynmillar@hotmail.com .

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This season I wanted to add a little something extra to my Pets-a-Sketch line, so have decided to introduce… Sketch Card Packages!! 🙂

How does it work? Easy peasy:

→ If you order a new ‘Original’ (black ink on white paper) style 5″x7″ Pets-A-Sketch drawing, then you are eligible to have it turned into a 5″x5″ blank inside greeting card!

Packages are available in various card multiples (4, 10, or 20), and come with the original 5×7 sketch drawing (unframed). Package pricing starts at $43+gst (plus shipping if applicable), and are available in custom card quantities as well.

Want the Sketch Card Package to be Holiday specific? No problem! We can add text to the front, or we can even add clothing/accessories to your pet for a quirky/comical twist (eg: santa hat, bow tie, birthday hat, etc)! Please note that if your intent is to use these as Christmas cards though, it is necessary to order by November 20th to ensure you receive them by early December.

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After unveiling two new Pets-A-Sketch options in September, I have decided to also offer them in ornament form too! While the 5×7 versions are available all year round, please note that the ornament versions are usually available in November / December only.

Below are examples of the three available sketch ornament styles –

“Original” – Black ink on White paper (comes with red ribbon as shown):

“Vintage” – Brown ink on Kraft paper (shown with brown ribbon upgrade):

“Splash of Colour” – Black ink on White paper, with Watercolour accents (shown with navy ribbon upgrade):

All ornaments automatically come with red ribbon – however if you prefer a different colour, I managed to source some wonderful alternate options (at the moment I currently have: black, brown, navy, or olive). Ornaments also come ready to gift in a box with tissue & ribbon (or for easy storage if it is for keeps vs gifting).

To view examples of the 5×7 unframed versions of these sketches, please check out this blog post HERE. Questions / comments, please contact me 🙂

Which style is your favourite??

Due to the influx in Pets-A-Sketch inquiries during the holiday season, I wanted to offer a blog post with all ordering info in one convenient spot 🙂

To view available sketch examples and more details on each – please view HERE for 5×7 options, or HERE for Ornament options.

All sketch orders are done by email – please send inquiries / orders to artbyrobynmillar@hotmail.com .

Please include the following info with your order:
→ Attach the photo(s) you’d like sketched.
→ Indicate the name of each pet being sketched.
→ Indicate what style of sketch(es) you’d like (Eg: 5×7 vs ornament / black & white “Original” style or one of the new styles, etc).
→ If ordering an ornament, please indicate if you’d like to change the ribbon colour (upgrade is 50⊄ ea).
→ If shipping is required from Calgary, please provide me with the mailing address that the package will be sent to & I can get a shipping quote for you no problem.

The order process in a nutshell:
→ Email me the above info 🙂 .
→ Payment is done by e-transfer (sent to artbyrobynmillar@hotmail.com), prior to pick up or shipping.
→ We coordinate shipping, or the pick up date/time (then I can provide pick up location details etc).
→ If you’d like a copy of your receipt, one can be sent at this time, just let me know.

Please note – all sketch orders are on a pick up or mail out basis only.
Shipping for 5×7 unframed sketches starts at $3. Shipping for ornament versions starts at $10. 

Also an important note – due to the custom nature of the sketches, all artwork orders are final sale (no refunds).

For pricing information, questions, or if you would like clarification on anything listed above – please feel free to contact me via my website, email, or social media. Thank you all so much for your continued interest & support! I couldn’t do what I do without you <3 !!!

As promised, here is a doppelgänger pic of Skeeter Lewis! His mum sent this to me last night & I just love it – they really knocked it out of the park:

When she picked up the painting I joked about trying to get a pic of him in the same pose as in the painting… then she said “Oh that’ll be easy actually, he does it all the time”! Woot woot! Love this little ‘gopher’ man <3