Pricing your work is a very personal and individual decision. No one else can determine the value of your creation. There is no one ‘right’ formula to use to create your pricing system, but there are FIVE different things you should consider when setting your prices – especially if you are building a business and making a living from your art. Grab my free Pricing Formula Guide here to put this into action! ____________________________ TIME: calculate the amount of time you s

Pros of Scratchboard Scratchboard is an excellent choice for your custom pet portrait! It is a rare, ancient medium that most people haven't heard of and only a few artists work in. Scratchboard is highly-detailed and offers incredible black and white contrast. My work, specifically, is photo-realistic and focuses on the unique details of your pet's face. For that reason, your reference image is the most important part of having a portrait commissioned. Reference Images To g

Welcome to the Third Edition of the Frequently Asked Questions series where I answer, in greater depth, all of your burning questions about scratchboard and my wildlife artwork, specifically. Let's dive it! #1 Where Do I Find the Extra Thin (or Mini) Fiberglass Brush? My favorite tool is the small fiberglass brush. I use it for EVERY piece that I create. It is the most VERSATILE tool in my kit. The brush can be used to create soft and fluffy fur textures, smooth skin and the

One of the questions that I get all the time from family, friends, and clients, is ‘what do you DO all day’? Most people have no idea what it looks like to be a full-time professional artist (I didn’t when I decided to be one either), so today I thought I’d give you a glimpse into my creative small business…it won’t look like anyone else’s but it will give you a pretty good idea of what it takes to run a business as an artist. My day-to-day looks very different depending on t

Photo-realistic custom scratchboard pet portraits are a rare and unique way to celebrate your favorite dog or cat.

Hey there everyone! I took a little bit of a hiatus from blogging recently and am ready to get back to it, offering great new content about scratchboard artwork and processes, behind the scenes of my business and scratchboard techniques, pet portrait projects, wildlife and wild place features, new installments of my Endangered Species Series (ESS), and personal posts about adventure, travel, backpacking and hiking. I’m really excited to share my journey as we all navigate a

Bumblebee There are approximately 275 different species of bumblebees around the world, with a majority of them living in the northern hemisphere. Only a few of these species are commonly seen in most places. Some species are found in only very specific locations. Bumblebees have been in decline because of changes in agricultural practices that are eliminating flowering plants from the landscapes, leaving the bees with little to feed on. Bumblebees live in a variety of ha

This year will be the first time I am offering reproduction prints of my scratchboard work at art festivals! Once I decided to go full-time, I knew this project was one I wanted to tackle right away and have prints available at my first shows of the year. I'm excited to offer this option so more people can take my work home, as they are a more economical option to my large scratchboard pieces. While I was planning to get this project started, I knew I wanted to be as respon

Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Quick Facts: Status: Vulnerable Population: 7,500 adults in the wild Height: 30 in at shoulder Weight: 110 to 140 lbs Habitat: Open plains Range: Southern and eastern Africa Diet: Carnivorous The cheetah is made to run and is the fastest land animal in the world - it has long muscular legs, small round head on a long neck, a flexible spin and deep chest, a long tail to help with balance, special pads on their feet and non-retractable claws (the only

Hey there! This quote speaks to me in big ways!! As an avid hiker, someone who yearns for the solace of nature, a wildlife artist, sustainability junkie, supporter of renewable energies, and animal lover, it is important to me that I respect the natural order of Earth and try to limit the impact of my human footprint. Something so important in my personal life has, naturally, spilled over into my business life. So the reason we're here today - the third pillar of Melissa H

Mountain Gorilla | Gorilla beringei beringei Quick Facts: Status: Critically Endangered Height: 4 to 5 ½ ft Weight: Up to 440lbs Habitat: forests, mountain Diet: vegetarian Population: 880 Mountain gorillas live in forests high in the mountains, half of the population live in the forests of the Virunga Mountains, of Central Africa at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet where temperatures drop to dangerous levels, often below freezing. They have thicker fur than other gorillas

Welcome to the first Endangered Species Series post of the year!!! If this is the first time you're visiting my blog for this series, I'm SO excited you're here to learn more about our world's endangered species. In this series, I offer information about the species, an images of the species through my artwork, and information about what continues to threaten the species' existence. Each post is set up in the same way as this one and at the bottom of this post, you will f

Happy 2017 everyone! This year is really BIG for me...in mid September of last year, among a lot of change in my personal life, I realized something - that I wanted to take the plunge and move to working full-time for myself. I had no real plan (I'd figure that out), but what I did have was an overwhelming amount of encouragement from my fellow artists and a support system in my family ('framily', I'm looking at you too - you know friends who are family :) ) that never wave

This day is one of my favorite at the beginning of every single year - the day I get to share ALL of the commissions that consume the majority my time from late September through December, sometimes right up until the day before Christmas Eve. These always have great stories behind them and it is so difficult to keep them a secret for so long, but now I get to share them all!! There are beloved pets that stole their owners hearts, precious companions that have left us, dear

This year has seen many different wildlife scratchboard pieces come across my desk - large green iguanas, stately lions, adorable little otters, and birds of all kinds, to name just a few. I've been working really hard in the off season (post September festivals) to create more and more wildlife art as I look into 2017 with a full plate of art festivals and fairs. The year 2016 brought great new adventures in my career as an artist (representation at a New York City gallery

Asian Elephant | Elephas maximus indicus Quick Facts: Status: Endangered Height: 6.5 – 11.5ft Weight: around 11,000lbs Length: around 21ft Population: 40,000-50,000 As Asia's largest land mammal, the Asian elephant is smaller than its African counterpart, with smaller ears that they use to keep themselves cool by constantly keeping them in motion and a single 'finger' on the upper lip of their trunk (African elephants have a second finger). Their skin ranges from dark grey t

Bald Eagle | Haliaeetus leucocephalus Quick Facts: Length: around 3 feet Wingspan: females – 7 feet, males – 6 feet Weight: 10-14 lbs Lifespan: 20-30 years Population: 5,000 mating pairs The Bald Eagle is the only eagle unique to North America and is the United States’ national symbol. The Bald Eagle is an Endangered Species Act success story. This series' purpose is to highlight species at risk of extinction and threatened by any number of things from habitat loss due to h

Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Quick Facts: Status: Threatened Height: 2 feet Weight: 10 - 25 lbs Length: 2.5 - 3 feet Lifespan: up to 15 years Habitat: Boreal forests The Canadian lynx has similar features to the bobcat, but there are distinguishing characteristics. Bobcats have shorter ear tufts, the tip of the tail is black on the top side and white underneath, and the bobcats legs are shorter with smaller feet. The lynx lives mostly in the northern states along the Canadian bor

Jaguar | 9x12 scratchboard Black Panther | 11x14 scratchboard Jaguar | Panthera onca Quick Facts: Status: Endangered Height: 25-30in at shoulder Length: 43-75in Weight: 79-211lbs Lifespan: 12 years Population: 15,000 in the wild Jaguars are the largest cat in the Americas. They range from Argentina in South America up to the Grand Canyon in the United States, though they have been almost completely eliminated from the northern most part of their range and are endangered in t

Mandrill (Mandrill sphinx) Quick Facts: Status: Threatened Height: 3 ft Weight: 77 lbs Lifespan: 20 years Habitat: Rain forests Diet: Omnivore - fruits, roots, and animals The mandrill is the largest and most colorful of all monkeys. Their easily identifiable red and blue faces, as well as colorful back sides become brighter when they get excited. They have long canine teeth that can be used for self-defense but baring them is typically a friendly gesture within their group