ALL THE DETAILS ABOUT ME, PRICING, OPTIONS, HOW TO TAKE GREAT PHOTOS AND THE WHOLE PROCESS! I am an artist, mostly self-taught, with a passion for painting and pets. Send a photo of your beloved pet to me at [email protected] and I will create a hand painted work of art for you to cherish! I use professional artist-grade acrylic paints on a museum-quality stretched canvas which is finished
on all sides ready to hang or display. Each portrait is painted with love and attention to detail - capturing your pet’s unique beauty and personality. Your pet is a special part of your family - giving you unconditional love. A custom portrait of your pet is a gift you will treasure forever! If you are interested in having me paint your pet’s portrait, here are some guidelines for the photo. THE PHOTO:
"The eyes are the window to the soul" - please make sure that there is a clear picture of the eyes - I usually start with the eyes when I paint and they set the tone for the painting. Working from a high resolution quality photo is very important. Take lots of photos to get the one that best captures your pet's personality and true coloring! LIGHTING:
Work in natural light without flash, ideally outside on a slightly overcast day or if a bright day, not in direct sunlight. If taking the photo indoors, again on a bright day in the soft light inside a big window. The sun or light source should always be behind you to highlight your pet. If the light is behind your pet, it will either create shadows, silhouette your pet, or force the flash. Flash tends to give animals red eye and create unnatural harsh colors. (If you have a picture you LOVE that was taken with flash, let’s look at it and maybe you can send me optional photos with better coloring and eyes to work from.) Zoom in...get close ups! Be playful to relax your pet and capture their personality! Use treats if necessary! If you like their mouth open and tongue showing, taking pictures after a walk or game of fetch seems to help, not many dogs have mastered the “smile” command! Take close ups but also make sure not to cut out ears, paws and tails. The more details in the picture, the better I can capture them in my painting! Some of the sweetest expressions are a pet at rest looking up into your eyes. Again, take lots of photos to find the pose and expression that you love. If you have limited options or only one photo of a pet who has passed on, I will find a way to work with it. We can talk it through. Send me multiple photos and tag your favorites, we can discuss details such as pose, background, full body or face portrait. Email to [email protected]. If sending hard copies, contact me for address and I will return them with your painting. PRICE LIST:
SIZE............PRICE..........ADDITIONAL PET
8” x 8"..........$250.............Not available
12” x 12”.......$360............$100
11” x 14”........$380...........$125
16” x 16”........$480...........$150
16” x 20”........$640...........$200
Prices available upon request for other custom sizes. If you would like to include a person in the portrait, please request quote. Includes:
- 1 1/2” deep museum-quality stretched canvas with painted and finished wrapped edges, ready to hang. If you plan to frame it, I would recommend a thinner depth canvas, please let me know.
- Simple portrait style background or a soft focus background like grass. For more detailed background, please discuss details for pricing. Each painting takes a minimum of 20 hours...there is great attention to detail in creating a hand painted portrait that is uniquely your pet! Shipping is not included as it depends on size of portrait, location being shipped to and how quickly you need it. Portraits take 2-6 weeks depending on my schedule and workload. If you need by a certain date, please communicate with me and I will do my best to make it happen! PAYMENT:
50% payment to commission a portrait, 50% due at completion. Cash or check, accepting credit cards soon. GIFT CERTIFICATES:
Available by email to print yourself - or a hardcopy can be mailed directly to you or the lucky recipient!
