I am so excited...just HAVE to share!!!!!

As some of you know, I'm a pet portraitist. Which doesn't get you much respect in the art community. AT ALL.

Well, this summer I decided to enter my first ever competition. I attached it. IT's done in colored pencil. He won second prize for the "drawing" category from the gallery owner who was the juror. THAT was cool enough.

I just found out that he won "BEST IN SHOW" as voted on by the public who visited the show!!!! I am on cloud nine!!! I just had to tell SOMEONE!!! So thanks for reading!! Robin

Congratulations, Best in Show was very well deserved too!

You've got great eye for perspecitive, from the thumbnail I thought it was a photo.

That is colored pencil?? Get out! Absolutely wonderful! Congrats!

That what I thought to...get out! It's awesome!!! Congrats!
:) Donna

That is a fantastic picture. I agree, I thought it was a photo to start with.

Congrat!!! Great art!

I love colored pencil. I have done it a long time. I won 3rd place of white tail deer face in colored pencils. I don't know where the art deer I put. I misplaced somewhere!

Way to go, Razzie!

Excellent piece of work! Ya done Good!!!

That's incredibly life-like Razzie! Congratulations!

Thanks!!!! I am unbelievably excited!!!!! He was my first piece. He is my niece's dog, we were visiting her newborn baby...her first...and I looked over and saw him pouting in that chair and snapped the photo.

I call it "What's So Cute About That New Baby, Anyway?"

The new baby is 3 now and they are best buddies!!

congratulations and i love animal art. should get lots reconition.....

Twyla

Congratulations! I thought it was a photo also. Do you do portraits for people? That might be a good business.

WOW! What a talent you have!!! I'm in awe. :)

Congratulations! I thought it was a photograph also. You really caught the details to bring it to life. Wonderful!

I'ts awesome...... not a photo ??????? better than a photo......

Thanks, guys! Defoecat, I DO do portraits of people, have to get my website updated soon!

I am still so excited!!

Well it's certainly obvious as to why you won. What a talent you have! The public has a very good eye.
sidney

What great talent you have! Do you have a website? I'd love to see your works.

Thank you, Sidney and Dea!

I do have a website, it's www.robinzebley.com

I'm just always so surprised at this. I didn't do any art until the day we dropped my youngest off at his dorm. My husband drove straight to the art store and said, "c'mon, this is something you've always wanted to do. Now's your time." That was 4 years ago. What's that saying about old dogs and new tricks???

You are blessed with so much talant!! I too thought it was a photo.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but you captured the detail so well it really does look like a photo. It is just beautiful. If you're looking for business you should put a piece (maybe this one) on loan in an upscale pet store, one that caters to people that choose to feed human-grade food to their pets. Even if you don't do that, I think you're going to have as much business as you want to take in. Wonderful piece.

Love your "painting" and your website! I have an artist friend who does woodburnings of llocal wildlife animals and birds. He says he always starts with the eyes because if he doesn't get them right he knows the piece wont turn our right.

I think people would love portraits of themselves with their pets. Have you ever done any of those?

Razzie, I visited your site and think you are under-selling yourself for the gift you have. You have very lucky (and likely very appreciative) customers!!! :)

Razzie, this portrait is just lovely. I can photograph animals, and I do draw, but I have never been able to create anything with such lifelike detail as your portrait here. It's beautiful.

Thanks Leaflady!
Sierra, I put flyers in vets offices, never thought about pet stores.
Pajarito, I do the eyes first too! I like when they start to "look back" at me!
Tutti, thanks! I'm terrified to raise prices, I like having a steady supply of work!
Gardenwife, I'll bet your drawings are gorgeous!

Razzie, thanks for sharing, your website makes me wish I had a pet again! Your work is great.

*sigh*....That is just so awesome...I wish I could afford you for my Tessa....LOL Not that you are overpriced...HEAVENS...I think you are underpriced too....

I have a niece that we have told for years that she should take art classes...finally...in her 50's ..she has done so...I sent her your web site as an inspiration to her!

Keep up the excellent work & congratulations on your win... Jo

I'm very proud for you!!!

Judy

wow! what beautiful work! you really captured the Boxer's personality! I love your website too!


edit to say "CONGRATS!"

This message was edited Aug 6, 2005 7:40 PM

Wonderful website and artwork! WOW!!! What talent you have! And congrats on the contest. What a cute specimen you had. I love the "caption". How funny! That's what my 90 lb Sam feels like now that we have a new cat who gets to sit in my lap--What's so cute about a silly ole cat anyway? LOL

Would you perhaps trade artwork for plants?

NancyAnn

I love your Picture. Lot's of personality. When you update your Web Site, please email me . I

Congratulations!!! your drawing is really magnificient!

You should be excited, you deserve it, it is beautiful and I love your website.

You do amazing work!! After i looked at it, i had to go back and take another look after reading the comments about it being colored pencil.
Congrats on your award!!

Underappreciated artists...so true, I think pet portaits are more difficult than human ones, because you can always flatter the human and still get paid.....owners want their pets rendered accurately. That is a wonderful picture, he looks so put out about the competition~ you have a great eye for color ! Now I'm going to visit your website and look at some more of your talented work!

Just visited your website Robin. I'm in awe of your talent!!! I have had this said about my sewing/embroidery but after seeing YOUR talent I'm humbled. I am going to pass along your website to ALL of my friends who have kids of the "furry" nature. God has certainly blessed your eyes, hands and heart.

It's just wonderful! You deserve much recognition and I hope you get it! My dad is an artist but I can't draw stick people. My cousin, who even looks sort of like my dad, got his artistic talent. At least I got his green thumb tho! :)

Thanks, Eden!
Roadrunner, yay! Tell her to email me, I'd love to give her a pep talk!
Judy, Lisa, Stetch, Pebble, Jen, also thanks for your kind comments.
NancyAnn, I'll email you.
Desert, will do!
Meezer, I think pets are MUCH harder to do. For one thing, they are hard to get decent photos of, so I usually work from a composite. This one for the face, this one for the ears, ha, ha.
Patti, thanks, I appreciate that. I was born with the ability, yes, I've been blessed and do appreciate it. Just never did anything with it.
Blondie, don't you wish we could pick and choose our genes, lol! I sure wouldn't have picked my terrible eyesight or fat cheeks (upper OR lower, lol!!)

If anyone else wants to get an email after I get the humans on my webpage, just let me know, I've got a list!

Thanks again, everyone, your encouragement is so...enlivening!!!!! I am so lucky to be able to do this, it gives me time in the garden, and I know we can ALL cheer about more time gardens!!

What a gift you have!! So blessed!

You've captured the essence of our 4-legged friends, and I too, would love to see your updated website.

Gracie

What a GREAT talent you have!

My kids razz me that my stick figures are hard to decipher ;o) But I love admiring others' abilities, and you have a truly wonderful talent (I would have sworn it was a photo!) The awards are very well-deserved ;o)

Wow! Like everyone else, I thought it was a photograph!

Fabulous work....no wonder you won!!

Congratulations!