Commissioned Pet Portraits

Paintings From Your Photographs

If you'd like to commission a special portrait painting of your cat or dog I can work from your photographs to create a painting. I'll ask you to send me photos before agreeing to a commission so we can discuss what you want and make sure your photos will do the job. Once I have your photos we'll talk about what you have in mind for the painting. You might have a photo of the pose that you particularly like and I can use this as the pose for the painting. Or you might not have a strong idea about how it should look. I'll look at your photographs and as we discuss the painting I'll do some sketches so that you can look at ideas for the picture. Once we have a sketch you're happy with I'll start on the painting itself.

Here's how it works...

The Photographs

The original photo of Solly. The pose is nice but two bottles sticking out of his head don't look very good and he's looking down.

You can either post or email your photos to me. Photographs should be sharp, detailed and well lit to show your all your cat's best features. Poorly lit photos don't reproduce the colour of fur or eyes very well and you can miss essential details. I need more than one photo so I can get a good idea of the sitters personality and colouring. At least half a dozen at a minimum. They should show a variety of poses and some should be head and shoulder shots taken in good light without flash so that eye colour and coat colour can be seen clearly.

It's also a good idea to take photos of anything special that might be included in the painting or used for the background. For example a favourite cushion or a special sunny spot in the garden that he loves to sit in.

It's also good to know about about the sitter and what his or her individual personality is like so please also tell me something about your cat. Is he active or lazy, outgoing or shy? Does she love attention or like to be aloof?

The Initial Sketches

The final sketch for the painting. The bottles are replaced by flowers and now he's looking up.

Once I have your photographs I'll start the working on the initial sketches. I usually do this using digital oil painting techniques. I'll be working on the composition, colour and character of the sitter. I'll show you the sketches as I work so you can see how the painting might look and this gives you the chance to make suggestions and ask for any changes if you don't like something. I won't start the painting itself until you are completely happy with the sketch.

In this example of the painting 'Solly and the Lilacs' you can see that I've changed his eyes, opening them so he's looking at the viewer instead of looking down and added some lilacs behind him which set off the colour of his fur rather nicely. They are not in the original photo. But I've kept the window which leads the eye to Solly and adds a nice soft glow from the flowers on the window ledge. Having more than one photo to work from allows me to change details like the position of the eyes while still keeping the character of the sitter.

The Final Painting

Once you are happy with the sketches and have approved the painting I'll start the painting itself.

The final painting 'Solly and the Lilacs'

The next stage depends on which kind of painting you have chosen. I have different kinds of paintings available. To see details about the different options for commissions see Commissioned Portrait Paintings of Your Cat.

A Print On Watercolour Paper

If you've opted for a digital oil on watercolour paper then the digital image will be repainted at a much higher resolution than the initial sketches and used to make the print. Repainting at a higher resolution is necessary to produce a very high quality print. The final painting will look like the sketch that you've approved but there will be some variation in colour and brushwork. The 13x19 inch print can then be framed and mounted in a 20x16 frame.

An Oil or Acrylic Painting On Stretched Canvas

If you've opted for a canvas painting then stage two is to paint an acrylic or oil painting on a stretched canvas. I use the digital sketch as the reference for the painting and the final painting will look like the sketch that you've approved but there will be some variation in colour and brushwork, and of course there'll be a bit more texture in the paint. A canvas painting takes longer to paint too and oils take longer than acrylics because each layer takes time to dry. The final canvas has painted sides with the staples on the back so it can either be hung on the wall as it is or framed if you prefer.

Private commissions are never used for making edition prints, only my own personal work is used for editions. The examples shown on this page are all personal paintings and not private commissions.

How Long Does It Take?

At the moment it takes about 3 weeks from your approval of the sketch to the finished acrylic canvas painting. It takes approx 6-8 weeks for an oil painting. Prints are quicker and take take about 2 weeks from approval to the finished print.

How much does it cost?

info@thepaintedcat.co.uk