Reference Photos
How to order?
Pet portrait are a wonderful way to remember treasured members of the family, and can be an original and personal gift for a loved one that will be a joy for years to come.
Your picture will be on your wall for many years, so it pays to ensure it is a fitting reminder of your animal
I email progression shots to ensure you are happy with how the artwork is going. Please feel free to email me your high resolution photos and I will let you know if they are suitable. Your photos will need to be approved for quality before booking.
QUALITY
The most important aspect of a photo is its quality. Please assure the photo is in focus and where possible use the best camera available to you!
Taking a good photo of your pet is the most important aspect of the pre-drawing process. The better the photo you give me, the better your portrait will be! I need to know your pets face as well as you do!
Working with blurry images is impossible. The face of the animal should be at least partially lit up. Strictly symmetrical frontal view of the face creates a static and thus more boring composition. The photo should be large enough to allow for zooming into the features.
PHOTOS
Please email your favourite photos of your pet, they must be clear photos showing the true colour of your pets fur, eye images must be clear and visible.The reference image for a potential commission is of a paramount importance, as I rely on it for anatomical details, likeness, lighting and composition. If i “see” it, I will paint it. If I don’t, no amount of struggle will help to arrive at a satisfying result. I may make a few artistic deviations from the image for the sake of a stronger painting, but I can not make up likeness and anatomical nuances and thus create a lifelike truthful and expressive painting working from an inferior photograph.
SIZE
Confirm the size you would like your the portrait.
WHEN?
Indicate when you would like the portrait completed. Please note, there is a waiting list and this situation changes on a daily basis, I will confirm timescales based on the current status.
DEPOSIT
Once the above has been discussed and agreed, a deposit of 50% is required to secure your spice with me, deposits should be paid through PayPal or bank transfer.
Pose
Take the photo on the same level as your pet. Photos looking down at your pet from human height distort the proportion on the face! This is the most common problem. To avoid this get down to your dogs level and hold the camera at their head height. It is often best to have your pet sitting or laying down and in the case of dogs use a treat or lure to get their attention. It’s important to always photograph from your pet’s level since your portrait will hang on your wall at eye level.
Whenever it is possible, try to take photos outside in natural lighting rather than inside with flash.
Try to avoid photos with strong sunlight or too dark shadows.
If you are unable to take photos indoors and place your pet close to a window without flash.
Keep taking photos and be creative about it, capture the moments. Look your pet in everyday life and find those wow moments when your pet looks great.
How not to do
How to do
Exceptions
For pets that have sadly passed away it is obviously not possible to take more images of the pet. Please contact me in these cases and send me all the photos you have, I am more than happy to work with you in these circumstances and come to a solution together.
I will not rush you to pay until the moment when you are satisfied with the result of my work.
Prices
Listed prices are for single animals with either a plain or simple tonal background.
These sizes and prices are a rough guide,I would be happy to quote on other sizes, however I don’t create smaller pieces due to the amount of detail in the portraits. Please contact me for portraits that have more than one subject or if you require a larger size.
Portraits are created with the highest quality professional grade materials. My brands of choice:
for Watercolor -100% cotton paper Arches 300 gsm
for Pastel-Clairefontaine or Canson paper
for Colored pencils-Strathmore Bristol paper
Watercolor
40×30 cm
220 EUR
50×40 cm
280 EUR
70×50 cm
700 EUR
Pastel
40×30 cm
320 EUR
50×40 cm
480 EUR
60×50 cm
850 EUR
Colored Pencils
40×30 cm
340 EUR
50×40 cm
750 EUR
60×50 cm
950 EUR
Charcoal/graphite
40×30 cm
220 EUR
50×40 cm
400 EUR
60×50 cm
700 EUR
Important information
Most importantly, glass protects your artwork!
Glass protects the artwork from environmental influences:from dust, dirt,moisture,fading and the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation, and simply gives the work a complete look.
Non-Reflective Glass- soft, diffuse glass.
If reflection i san issue in your home non-reflective glass is a great solution-particularly if would like a soft look on your artwork.
Ultra Vue Glass-clarity and perfection.
Ultra Vue Glass is a recent addition to glass options and offers a virtualy invisible and anti-reflective surface for truly amazing, cristal clear clarity. Fine details and bright colours simply pop when placed under Ultra Vue Glass and reflections are nonexistent-you will see detail in your art you never realized was there. Ultra Vue Glass also offers UV protection from both internal and external light sources to stop fading and perfectly preserve your artwork.
Museum Glass-ultimate protection and clarity.
Museum Glass is the art worlds industry standart for the ultimate level of protection on fine art and originals. Museum Glass offers the highest UV protection levels and takes on a non reflective and invisible surface to achieve optimal colour transmission and clarity to really bring your artwork to life.
Watercolor decoration
The use of glass is mandatory. It is advisible to use just Museum glass or Ultra Vue Glass- it will provide protection from ultraviolet radiation, which is extremely harmful for watercolors-paints quickly fade in the light.
Pastel and charcoal drawings decoration
Pastel differs from other graphic works in a very unstable image. With any careless movement, even pastels crumble, it is easy to smudge it with your finger, or even just blow it off. Therefore, when making pastels,glass is necessarily used. It some cases,anti-reflective glass is used to enchance the pastel effect,add blur to the image. It is highly recommended to also use a passepartout,or make a double frame to secure the glass between the frames,providing a distance between the glass the work.
Passepartout is colored cardboard about 2 millimeteres thick. You can use this method of determining the color: make the passepartout slightly darker than the lightest part of the picture, or slightly lighter than the darkest. This technique will prevent the image from merging with the frame. Passepartout improves the perception of the work, helps the viewer concentrate on the image, create a neutral zone between the frame and the image.
Shipping
For anywhere else in the world your parcel will be sent tracked, you will be provided this information on dispatch, so you will know exactly when to expect your delivery. Please contact me for an individual shipping quote. Please note that portraits sent outside of the Europe may incur customs charges upon delivery into your country.
** Please note that the copyright remains with me the artist, on all work and no artwok may be reproduced or altered in any way, without prior written agreement from me. I do not reproduce commission pieces for prints, I will however use them for promotional purposes within social media, online, events and in any other way to market my work. **