Manda Wolfe fell into her career as a pet portraitist. A neighbor saw the piece she did of her own dog, Abby, and commissioned the artist to paint his pup as well. She now takes orders through Art by Manda, staying quite busy at her home studio in Santa Barbara, Calif.
Wolfe specializes in gouache, a method of painting that uses opaque watercolors. She works from provided photos, capturing the subject in a realistic style before adding a bright and colorful background to the cardstock canvas.
Her modern pop art portraits are simply lovely and brim with personality. They come in a wide range of sizes, from 4 by 6 inches to 20 by 24 inches. Prices run from $75 to $750. Wolfe can typically turn around a commission in three to four weeks, depending on the requested size and her current workload.
Here are a few of my favorites from her online gallery.
Wolfe has generously offered to paint a custom portrait — 4 by 4 inches or 4 by 6 inches, depending on the layout — for one lucky Dogster reader. Such a work of art regularly costs $75. Follow the directions below to enter. She also will take 15 percent off any order placed by a Dogster reader who uses the coupon code CATDOG1.
How to Enter
- Create a Disqus account, if you haven’t already, and include a valid email. It takes just a minute and allows you to better participate in Dogster’s community of people who are passionate about dogs. If you already have a Disqus account, check it to ensure the account includes a valid email.
- Comment below using your Disqus account, telling us about your pup and what personality traits you would want Manda Wolfe to capture. Bonus points for photos and following directions. Our favorite comment wins. You must be a U.S. resident to score this prize.
- Check your email for a “You’ve Won!” message from us after noon PST on Thursday, Aug. 28. We’ll give the winner two days to respond before moving on to our next favorite.
Good luck.
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