Since I’ll be working off photos, it’s important to provide ones that are clear enough for me to see the details in your pet's fur, eyes, nose etc. Some viewpoints and poses that look fine in photos can create odd proportions and don't necessarily translate well into artwork so posing and angles are also something to consider when taking your pet's photo.
Photos don't need to be taken on a professional camera although if you have one, that is recommended. The camera quality on a smartphone usually provides sufficient detail.
I usually just require one photo to base the painting off, however, I may ask for more if I require extra detail.
Please avoid photos that
- are blurry, dark or low resolution (small)
- have parts of your pet's face or body covered or out of frame (unless you don't want these areas in the painting)
- are mostly of the background
Instead, choose a photo that
- shows your pet in a pose you like
- is well-lit, in focus and high-resolution (big)
- doesn’t have parts of your pet out of frame if you'd like these areas included in the painting. A small part of the ear or tail out of view is ok but not anything larger
- doesn’t have too much background
If you're still unsure, I've provided some commentary on example photos below to give you an idea on what a suitable photo looks like.
If you have two pets
If you have more than one pet you'd like in the painting, they don't need to be in the same photo however, it's preferable that they are. You can send separate photos for me to bring together into one painting however, sometimes their individual poses may look stiff and unnatural when combined together.
To avoid this, I may ask for more photos so that the poses and interaction between your pets in the combined result looks natural. I'll create a draft of the composition and send it to you to approve before I begin painting, this way you can visualize what the painting will look like.
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| The dog's face is partly covered, it's legs have been cropped out and the lighting is dim |
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| There is too much background, it’s hard to see the dog |
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| This shot is blurry |
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| This is a clear, well-lit shot but the cat's legs are hidden from view. If the bedding was incorporated into the painting, then this shot would work better |
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| Too dark
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| The cat's hind legs aren't visible but this is ok because it's part of the pose |
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Although the dog's lower half is cropped out, this is totally fine for a portrait painting
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