Schmapps and stuff

We went to the Science Center this weekend during the break.  It was a gamble for sure.  We would either have a good time, or suffer shoulder to shoulder irritation for four hours.  Luckily, it wasn't painfully busy and we had fun.  There was a neat game in which you made life choices by swiping pictures that would either elongate or shorten your life.  Pictures like a beer and a cigarette would swim past you and if you chose it, -20 years would flash and your life expectancy would decrease by that many years. Yikes! and really?!
At one point a kitty and dog floated past and I swiped that sucker hoping to live past age 50 at the very least. + 15 years Yes!  I knew there was a reason I put up with all of that hair all over our furniture. So, hubby, those cats that you think make your life difficult are actually making it longer!  Isn't that wonderful? Remember that when you're about to sit in your favorite chair only to see one of the cats already there;)  

I have always been an animal lover and if I had more room, I would probably own way too many animals. Some may say that we have too many right now with our dog and two cats.

However, I can't quite decide if a love of animals should translate to one's interior design choices. Nonetheless, I did decide to paint a picture of my mom's dog for her as a present.  I had meant to do it for her birthday, then the holidays, and a month later I finally got to it.  My mom is more attached to her dog than her children for sure. She may love her grandchildren as much, but if it really came down to a choice, Nikki the mini schnauzer just might beat them out.

I found a simple tutorial online and bought a starter kit like this one.  
Here are the basics:
1) Begin with a clear, detailed photograph.
2) Take a charcoal pencil and shade the entire back of the photograph. 
3) Use acrylic paints and make sure you have at least one very fine tip brush for details.  
4) Paint one or two layers of a background color as the paint adheres better to paint than the bare canvas.
5)Next, place the photograph over the canvas or board and trace the picture.  Ta da!  You now have a sketch of the animal to work with.
6)Paint in the picture.  
7)Outline with black.

My finished product:

Not a masterpiece, but it's cute and it sure looks like Nikki.  My mom was thrilled!  She framed it and put it in a premier spot on her wall.

What do you think?  Are animal portraits a good design choice for you?