Everyone's Best Friend

Animal Portraits are fun to do.  As with any portrait the most important part are the eyes.  You have to capture the eyes just right.  They carry the personality of the portrait.  It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul and that is very true.  If you miss the eyes you’ve lost the portrait, especially in pet portraits. 

            In pet portraits you can have a lot of fun with the fur, the placement of the ears, the stance, and what is around the pet.  I usually try to put the pet in a very simple background so not to distract, although I have done portraits when the background was as important as the pet.  I did one with the dog peeking out from underneath the covers because that was his very favorite place.  Capturing the personality of the animal is key.  I want my viewer to really see their best friend.

I have done pieces with multiple pets in the portrait as well as just one.  For a Christmas gift one year I had a client that wanted all 12 dogs that have been in his life, past and present, in the picture.  Of course since this was at Christmas time and prompted a series of post on the 12 days of Christmas.  It started with “A Portrait of my dear dog” and finishing with the 12 dog portrait.  Fun project to do.

            I have found that pet portraits are the most impactful as a gift after the pet has past.  I like to think I bring their pet back to life in the portrait.  It really makes me happy when I hear that the painting looks like he’s right here asking for a treat.  I also hear that they make people cry, in a good way.  It’s funny though I have yet to paint my dog Finn that pasted away over a year ago.  I guess it’s like the old saying “the cobblers kids don’t have shoes” or “the contractors house is falling apart”.  Or maybe it’s still too painful to paint.  He was a rescue and everything I didn’t want in a dog.  He didn’t chase balls, was skittish, barked at the door, not really good at coming when he was called, shed like crazy, year round and I loved him to pieces.  He followed me everywhere.  When I went upstairs to paint, so did he.  When I came down, he did too and plopped right down by my feet.  Still miss him today.  Maybe one of these days I’ll get around to painting my best friend.