Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Tail Wagging Tuesday: Giveaway!!!

You guys know I love my pets.  There's no question about it.  I love them so much that they inspired me to gather the courage to start my own Etsy shop where I could paint pet portraits and share my other artwork. 

Today I want to find out just how much everyone else loves their pets... soooo I'm having a pet portrait giveaway!!!!!  Yeah... you should get excited because you're going to have two different chances to enter.

If you are super crazy about your pet, and you would just loooove to have a one-of-a-kind soft pastel portrait like this...

Or this...

Or maybe this if you have a bird or another pet...


Then, pay attention now. :)

Here's how it works.  

Before you decide to enter, make sure you already have a good photo, or that you will be able to take one.  (Remember guys, I live in Hawaii right now... I can't always be there to take the photo or see the beautiful pet in person.  I need a good quality photo to work from. )  When I'm working on a portrait, I go by what I see in the photo, so if the photo has green eyes, I can't teleport myself to the pet to know that the eyes are, in fact, brown.  I can only go by what I see... You get the picture... The photo has to be what you want the portrait to look like.  

For example, when I did Nelly the beagle, I worked from this photo and got this portrait.
Head shots usually work best.  I find that the eyes are super duper important in making the portrait feel like a certain pet.  They are indeed the windows to the soul, so you want to be close enough that you capture the details of the eyes.

And one last tip for the photo... Turn your flash off unless you are an amazing photographer who knows all about lighting and using the correct flash.  For point and shoot cameras, the flash changes the true colors and gives the eyes a weird look, so try taking the photo in natural light, perhaps near a window as the natural light illuminates the room (not in direct sunlight... that can be worse than the flash).  Just play around with it, and you'll get a great, natural looking shot.  (If you win, I will correspond with you until we get the photo just the way you want.)

Now that we have that end of business taken care of, here's how you enter.  You have two chances, so you enter two times!

1. You must be an official follower of this blog (through Google Friend Connect to the right).  Leave a comment telling me why you love your pet so much, what makes him/her special, or why you want a portrait, and that's entry number one.


2.  If you have already done the first entry, you may enter a second time by becoming a fan of the Tails to Tell Facebook page.  Leave me a second comment saying that you already are a fan or that you just became one, and that's entry number two.

You have until Monday, April 25th to enter, so get on it!  (You could also use this as a gift for a pet lover in your life if you want to get a super early start on Christmas shopping... wink, wink)
 I'll use Random.org to choose the winner, and that winner will be announced on the next Tail Wagging Tuesday post.  Be sure to check in to see if your name is announced.  Then, I'll start work on the portrait as soon as the winner has an awesome photo for me.

Good luck!  :)




17 comments:

  1. I've already "liked" the Tails to Tell facebook page. :)

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  2. I love my sweet little Chachi so much because he stole my heart from the very first time I saw him. He's still just as precious today...even more so because he always "smiles" and shows his pearly whites to me and everyone else when he first sees them!

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  3. I love you posts....and I miss seeing you. We love our fur children...the house would be too quiet without them. Riley stole our hearts from day one with his "snaggle" smile and we knew he needed a forever home...and we wanted to give him that home. He goes wherever we go and is a huge part of our family. He is the best rescue pup we could ask for

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  4. My little Gracie is my world. She's my "child" and she is the best company when Chris is deployed. She always knows how I'm feeling and when it's time to play...or when Mommy is sad and needs to cuddle and have "puppy kisses". She has so much personality and I don't know what I'd do without her. She's one of the few living creatures I can always count on to be there for me :)

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  5. I'm loving all these "puppy love" stories!

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  6. I was searching for another dog to adopt after my first one (puppy) died of parvo. The Animal Rescue Foundation here had lots of cute dogs, and there was one at the end that had no photo. He was described as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel mix, and at the time I had no idea what kind of breed it was. After googling, I ran up there and snatched him. He has been my best friend ever since. Ive been through some rough times...and at times, he was my only source of happiness. He was abused before I adopted him, which makes me love him more, and him love me more. He is the most loyal dog I have ever seen/met/had. He follows me everywhere, and will stay around the house if I let him outside without a leash because he will not let me out of his site. I dread the day when hes gone, because I will never find another Bentley. His favorite thing to do is run around chasing the shadows of butterflies, bees, and birds!

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  7. Katie, I love me some Cavaliers! They are some of the sweetest, most gentle dogs I've ever met. I'm so glad sweet Bentley found a good home with someone who loves him so much! :)

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  8. I love my dog, Ben Wade, a Bichon/Miniature Poodle mix, so much because if ever there was an animal with a sterling soul, it would be him. He is patient and friendly to all children, and we're around kids a lot. Being a service member, my husband is often away and my son returns to the mainland to visit his daddy and other family members, which leaves me alone on this island. I don't ever feel really alone because of Ben Wade. His energy is so calming and positive that he has befriended three dogs in the neighborhood who act pretty stank toward most other dogs. They can't get along with anyone else, but they happily greet and play with Ben. Even with our schedules and household turned upside down by this new puppy, Ben Wade takes it all in stride, seeming to know that the new heathen is a youngster and doesn't realize how crazy he is acting. LOL. He means the world to me because he comes from an alleged notorious puppy mill, so sometimes his elevator doesn't go to the top floor, but he lets nothing hold him back and he hasn't had an off day since I've known him. If ever I needed an inspiration to have a good attitude no matter what and to wake up with an "I'm gonna have a blessed day!" frame of mind, it would be him. I would love to have a pet portrait of him because your work really captures an animal's essence and I would proudly display it in my home. If I don't win this drawing, I will be asking for a Christmas present from my husband for one of your portraits.

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  9. Our dog is Harley. He's a Boston Terrier and was my sweet 16th birthday present. He's almost 11 years old now and we decided to leave him in the care of my mom while we are stationed here in Germany. When we moved from England to Nebraska that flight was really rough on our cat, and he was only a couple years old at the time. We don't want to add any stress to Harley that he doesn't need. He's used to living with my mom, since well, I lived with her when I first got him and she spoils him probably more than I do. He's just the sweetest puppy ever. We miss him a lot but know he's safe there until we get stationed stateside again. What a great giveaway Lindsay! Your portraits are awesome!

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  10. I "liked" your page on Facebook!

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  11. of course I like your facebook page...ans I will continue to tell all of my fur children loving friends and family about it!

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  12. I LOVE my sweet Tucker (Westie) soooo much...as I often tell him "to the moon and back...times infinity!"!! He is a true best friend and warms my heart each and every day! We adopted him in Germany, and he has been by my side through each of my husband's deployments and international travels, always keeping me company and helping me to not feel alone when I was so very far from family and friends. He "talks" to me in so many ways...from his huge, expressive eyes that just dance with words, snuggling with me when I need it most, and standing on his hind legs while I work at my computer...letting me know he needs a little lovin' and wants to share a little {a lot} with me. He knows just when I need him to comfort me when I'm dealing with a difficult situation or just need a hug, and he brings me more JOY than I can even begin to express. And, the sweetest thing is that my husband feels the same way about him. Tucker has traveled with us overseas many times {we lived in Germany and the Middle East} (we call him our little "world traveler"!! haha)and has been with us since our first year of marriage...and, we have been married a little over 13 yrs. He is my "heart and soul"!!

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  13. And, I am already a fan of Tails to Tell on Facebook!! *Thanks so much for this awesome giveaway to try to win one of your beautiful paintings, Lindsay!!

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  14. I already "like" you on Facebook! You entertain me more than you know! =)

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  15. I love my Allie-oopers because she is the best little thing that could have ever come into my life! She's always there, whether I need a playful lick in the face or just someone to sit quietly next to me. She's my best friend and my whole world!

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I love getting your comments! Put a smile on my face and show me some love. :-)