You don’t have to be a master of photography to capture those most perfect moments in time of your children, human OR fuzzy. I find that some of the best shots of our children are candid, when they are being completely natural. However, many times when those moments arrive, all we have is our cell phone camera. While, your babies may look adorable, the backdrop in which they stand, the lighting or graininess discourages you from turning it into memorabilia for your walls.

That has all changed now that we have our OilWorks program. For over 2 years, we’ve transformed hundreds of rough photos into stunning digital paintings that are used as the focal points in many homes. Each OilWorks piece, whether Master or True Artist, is painted by a live person who is a traditional artist as well, using a virtual paintbrush and pallet. As you see in the Photo below, this is exactly what Beejal did with her children. She now has her new 48”x 36” Master OilWorks painting hanging in her home to enjoy every time she walks by.

I think it’s time to pull out all those candid photos… don’t you?

Renee from Canvas Press

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I work at Canvas Press and have always felt a connection with all our customers, but in this particular case, my heart fell a little harder for a customer with bright feathers…

It is a rare and life altering moment when you awaken one morning to discover you are completely in love; An unconditional love that grabs a hold and refuses to let go. This miracle of the heart comes in many shapes and sizes and has no boundaries. That is what one lucky couple from Austin TX found with their blue and gold macaw, Bailey. Anyone who has ever been blessed enough to own a parrot knows how wonderfully loyal they are to their human parents and how it takes a patient and caring person to care for such a special bird for it can act just like a two year old child.

I had the honor of meeting this incredibly gorgeous blue and gray macaw on a visit to Glenda and Joe’s pet supply house, Gallery of Pets. It was our first meeting and I had never been to this eclectic shop full of fish and birds. I found myself in a joyous animal overload. After meeting Glenda, she walked me to the back to meet her pride and joy, Bailey. He looked at me and said to me in his cute macaw voice, “HELLO, Everybody” and of course, I greeted Bailey back, in attempts to imitate him.

I told her all about Canvas Press and our photos to canvas. She sounded fascinated and pressed to hear more. That is about the time I went into detail about our OilWorks and how I could paint anything her desires using our digital program that uses real digital paint brushes. Her eyes widen and asked if I could paint her sweet Bailey and print it on Canvas. And of course I said “YES!” Shortly after our visit, I drove back to work to find a picture of Bailey waiting for me in my inbox.

The picture I received was a rough snap shot of Bailey with many store items surrounding him to distract the eye. He sat happily on a perch just waiting to be painted. I proceeded to open Bailey’s photo onto my painting program. The image from the computer monitor glowed back at me as I sat contemplating. “Bailey needs to look like he is playing outside somewhere lush with many beautiful shades to complement his coloring.” Immediately, I removed the clutter from the background and began adding hues of purple, yellow and blue. As I neared the end of the painting, could see Bailey come to life.

Normally, I would email a sample of the finished painting to the eager client, but this time I thought, “No. I want it to be a surprise.” I let Glenda know her new painting was ready for her and that I would be available to drop it by the next day. As I approached the shop, I quickly covered the painting of Bailey to ensure no early peeking. Glenda greeted me with a Cheshire Cat grin and eagerness behind her eyes. So of course, I showed Bailey the painting of himself first, then finally, I had teased her long enough and showed her, her new painting. She took a deep breath and sighed, “It’s beautiful! I must show my husband!” Before I knew it, they had already picked out a place for his painting to hang in their shop. A child comes in many forms and this case a macaw named Bailey whose painting will now grace the walls thanks to a simple photo to canvas.

By Renee Auguste

We received the following email from a recent customer:

 Dear Canvas Press staff,

I wanted you to know how much I loved my completed canvas. The subject of my canvas is my dog, Max. I lost Max to cancer on March 30, 2009. He had been my faithful companion for 15 years. I wanted a fitting tribute to him, and his finished canvas certainly fit the bill.  I am just thrilled with the outcome. When I look at the canvas, Max looks so much like I remember him, it seems he could jump out to me. I placed his canvas in the center of the mantle over the fireplace, so that I can look at him every day.

You all were great to work with and very patient with me. Thank you for an outstanding job.

                                                                 Linda

Our OilWorks enhancement is the option to have an artist digitally paint your image to give it the look of an oil painting instead of a photograph. The True Artist option is $79 and an artist adds brush strokes and embellishments to the entire image by hand before we print it onto the canvas. The Master Artist option is $249 (a new reduced price!) and our artist creates a new masterpiece painting out of the image. For all Master Artist pieces, the artist doing the work has a consultation with the customer regarding their desires for the finished piece. After all the digital work has been completed a proof is sent over for approval. Once the canvas has been printed and stretched the artist then takes a clear embellishing gel and paints on top of the canvas to give it real brush strokes and texture.

Customers often ask what is the difference between these options to warrant such a large price jump. With a Master Artist OilWorks you truly get a one-of-a-kind piece of art that is inspired by your original image. Here are images of our most recent Master canvas, with the original photo taken in a Parisian park by Terry from Seattle and the OilWorks artwork was done by Renee Auguste.

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Learn more at CanvasPress.com.

Advanced technology features on CanvasPress.com let you control every step of the process in customizing your canvas art.

The “Create a Canvas” module is a simple and easy tool that has been designed to assist you in creating a canvas print from your digital images. In five simple steps, you can be on your way to filling your walls with lovely canvas creations. Module Overview:

The create a canvas module is broken out into five easy progressing steps.

• Step 1: Upload Image
• Step 2: Product Type & Sizing
• Step 3: Digital Enhancements
• Step 4: Text Overlay
• Step 5: Comments & Saving

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