Pet Portraits

Pet Portraits

The animal companions with whom we share our lives can be the most important things in the world to us. An original fine art pet portrait is a wonderful way to celebrate a cherished pet or remember those we have lost. There are hundreds of companies now offering pet portrait services on the web today. Here are a couple of the most common types that you might find.

“An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language.” ~ Martin Buber

Fine Art Paintings

Fine art oil or watercolor pet portraits will capture your special animal companion’s unique personality and exact likeness in a painting that will last a lifetime. True to life paintings that will create a lasting memory of your pet and make lovely and thoughtful gifts for you or your pet-loving friends. You can also opt for charcoal or pencil portraits of your pet, which will show all the personality you love in a more aged or timeless style.

Digital Art Renderings

Contemporary custom pet portraits created on the computer from scanned pictures of your dog or cat. They can erase cluttered backgrounds from your snapshots and reduce red eye from your flash photography. Most work in a variety of pet portrait art styles for a variety of tastes, creating portrait work that is custom and a masterpiece just for your pet that captures his or her personality. Most print your pet portraits on to either artist grade canvas or watercolor paper. Some will even take it an extra step and offer you special gift ideas in the form of mouse pads, mugs and calendars with your pets as the stars. All fine art prints should have a satisfaction guarantee and you should even be sent an on-line proof prior to printing just in case a color change might be needed.

Taking the Photograph to Send In For Painting

  • Camera should be lowered to pet’s level.
  • Photograph outside.
  • Backgrounds add to the beauty of portraiture. Do, however, try to eliminate distractions (unwanted interiors, people, etc.) which are not to be included and merely clutter the shot.
  • Use 150mm – 200mm lens, especially when taking head shots, to minimize distortion.
  • Employ a partner to stand behind you and help with toys or gestures to capture expressions. Tether pet if necessary.
  • Chose those which best illustrate your pet’s unique anatomy. Do the eyes show or are they dark holes? Does the expression indicate your pet’s character and individuality?
  • Send several snapshots, indicating your favorites.