Robyn Millar

Do you remember this custom trio from a few posts back (you can read HERE if you like)? Well, the client who commissioned me to paint these adorable lil munchkins was kind enough to take pictures of them posing with their paintings! Love em so much! Here we have:

Cake doppelgänger

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Last night, this sweet lil lady’s pet portrait got picked up from my studio.

When Maggie Belle Bean’s mum originally got in touch with me she let me know that her beloved 14 yr old Bouvier dog had passed away. After chatting back and forth, when it came time to pick a photo for the painting, I encouraged her to take her time in selecting her favourite one. One that also best reflects her pup’s personality. I really like the photo we went with, and the cute note she sent me regarding Maggie’s unique ear:

“She did have one wonky ear because the Akita down the path ate it a few years ago and after that she always looked like she was saluting us. We just couldn’t take her seriously 🙂 “

What I also loved about the photo she gave me to use, was the reflection in Maggie Belle’s eyes – you can make out a tiny silhouette of the one taking the photo, likely a loved one – presumably her mum or dad. So for me the reflection in her eyes symbolizes a moment of them looking at each other lovingly, which makes me happy to think about.

I love her cheeky expression, her happy face, and her quirky ear. And the big giant hug I got from my client when she picked up the painting 🙂 , it always makes my day when they are so happy with the final result!

2015 seems to be flying by already – January came & went in a flash, February is almost at the half way point… and no blogging since December :/ whoops! So here is a quick recap of what I’ve been up to since my last post…

Enjoyed some time off with family during the holidays:

En route to BC – I like taking pix out the passenger window lol

Worked on a custom order piece which I will be sharing more details on shortly!

Have been really curious about “what is paint, really?”. Looking up lots of info on paint pigments, and even found a couple cool books on the subject (those that know me know I’m not usually into books, so me buying some is actually a little bit shocking lol! But I’m definitely enjoying it.) :

One of the books I got by Victoria Finlay

Bought a new Moleskine watercolour sketchbook, and am considering firing up a new daily sketching challenge (no concrete plans just yet, but do have some ideas in mind).

Celebrated my birthday recently, and my family spoiled me with an awesome new camera! I know almost nothing about cameras haha, but have always wanted to learn. And so far I’m enjoying the ease of the ‘auto’ functions, and will be trying to learn some manual functions later on. In the meantime I’m enjoying tinkering:

Dusk view of downtown – tinkering with the night landscape function

And of course many many pet portraits are in the works 😀 . I hope to share some pix really shortly, so stay tuned to my blog & facebook page for the latest.

I try not to bombard my blog subscribers with too many posts, but on the flip side it seems I have the occasional month here and there with no posts at all lol. It’s definitely not intentional, but it naturally goes in waves it seems. So though I’d love to post more, sometimes I’m just not able to get to the computer as often as I’d like to. But I do hope to share some new paintings through my blog shortly, so do keep an eye out! Thank you again for reading along 🙂

These cuties are the final pet portraits to head out of the studio in 2014.

I hope you had a great Christmas season, and are fitting in some good rest & relaxation before the ol ‘regular grind’ resumes come January 🙂 .

The months leading up to the holidays is always crazy in the studio. But always fun! I had various paintings to complete, in addition to Pets-A-Sketch orders. So needless to say my blogging skills haven’t been so good lately haha! As soon as all the Xmas orders were on their way to their homes this year, I headed off to BC to recharge with family. So a regular painting schedule + blog posts should be ‘business as usual’ come the new year.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some of my fave pix from the studio leading up to Christmas (which I couldn’t share til now):

One piece had 4 generations of family doggies brought together on one canvas 🙂

Jake was one of the only kitty orders this year, and one of my fave faces 🙂

Some of the sketch ornaments that headed out of town…

And one of the local sketch orders done in 5×7 form.

All in all 2014 has been another great year, and I couldn’t have done it without all the support & referrals / orders / purchases / social network shares / and so on… It all helps me to keep on doing what I love – being a full time artist! And for that I’m so grateful!! So thank you again 😀

Looking forward to what 2015 has in store, and wishing you a very happy new year!

Last week, this set of three custom Pet Portraits was given as a surprise gift between friends. They had been completed earlier in the fall, but I couldn’t share pictures until they were revealed to the recipient not too long ago. And I’m really excited to get to share pix now 🙂 ! On the top we have Cake (aka Casey), on the left is Ndume (Swahili for “male/brother”), and on the right is Mpundu (Swahili for “twin”).

When my client originally contacted me, she let me know that she wanted to commission a painting as a gift for a family that’d been pet sitting for and became close with. So she sent me various photos of all the pups, we chatted about options, decided to go with a unique set of three (vs all on one, or all canvases the same size), and I started painting away!

example pic of wood panel texture

Also, this particular set was actually painted on birch wood panels vs my usual canvas. It offers a slightly different aesthetic, mainly the texture, but the paint also acts a little differently on this surface as well. I had a lot of fun working on these, and may start doing more paintings on wood in the future! Above is a close up pic to try and show the subtle wood texture showing through the paint.

Full images of each painting can be viewed in my Pet Portrait Portfolio gallery. And just for fun, here are some detail shots:

Ps – I’m told that some animal doppelgänger pix are in the works, and I sooo can’t wait!

I’m very excited to announce that my Pet Art Cards are now available at Chow Bella Health Store & Grooming Salon in Okotoks AB!

I’ve worked with many clients from Okotoks over the years, so I’m definitely happy to have a card retailer closer to home for them now! If you are in the area, be sure to check out Chow Bella for all your pet needs – the staff is incredibly friendly, and they are very knowledgable.

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– Hot off the press –

I’m excited to share that in addition to my Pet Art Cards, I now offer a greeting card line featuring original pieces from my Mixed Media portfolio as well! I kicked things off with six designs, and currently have three of a Nelson BC theme (top row) & three of Castlegar BC (bottom row).

And although I don’t think it’s particularly important to know the exact places these cards reflect in order to enjoy them (as my hope is that they can appeal to a wider audience of folks who may simply appreciate scenery & old structures in general), I do think it’s also a fun tidbit to know if you have memories rooted in the Kootenays. Which is where these (…and myself!) are from 🙂

Like their original paintings, this particular card series is entitled “Modern Nostalgia”. To read more about the paintings themselves and a little story behind the series, please read the blog posts listed HERE. The cards themselves are approx 5″x5″ each, blank inside, and come with a 100% recycled kraft colour envelope. And I hope to add more cards to the line up in the new year also!

Since these cards are brand spanking new, I’m extra excited that they are already available for sale in two great shops:
Birch n’ Burlap, Nelson BC
Kootenay Gallery, Castlegar BC

If you have questions or would like to place an order, please contact me and I’d be happy to help 🙂

WHEN: Sunday December 7th 2014, from 11am-4pm

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

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

DOGS ARE WELCOME 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!).

What I’m bringing to the table (pun intended, lol):

(custom pet sketches in ornament or 5×7 unframed versions)

At my table this year 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! To see examples of completed sketches, please check out my previous blog post HERE.

(sketching in action at last year’s market)

Since my pet portrait paintings are completed on a custom order basis, I can take painting orders at the market also. However, all new painting orders will be completed in the new year. If you would still like to gift a painting for Xmas though, I will have Gift Certificates available for purchase at my booth too!

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With the holiday season approaching, I am now accepting orders for my custom ‘Pets-a-Sketch’ drawings – they are available in a 5″x7″ unframed format, or fun Christmas ornament versions! Done freehand in pen & ink on archival quality paper, based on your very own pet photos.

Below is an example of my ‘Pets-a-Sketch’ custom drawings in ornament form. These ones measure approx 3″ wide. I’ll be taking on local (Calgary) orders from now until shortly before Xmas, however sketches requiring shipping would need to be sent out in early December to arrive in time before the holidays.

Ornament example from xmas 2013: ‘Darcy’

If you plan to gift a sketch of a friend or family member’s pet, but only have access to phone pix or ones from from the recipients facebook page etc, don’t fret! Low res pix are still sketchable (but high res ones are welcome too of course 😀 ).

For the unframed versions, custom sizes are also possible. For inquiries or to place an order, please contact me 🙂