Hello 

This week the newsletter is going to the dogs, and also the cats. So many of us have pets or know someone that has a pet and I'm sure most pet owners would love to have a painting of their pet. That is where you the artist comes in.... if you are looking to make a few bucks, painting a pet portrait for their owners is a very good way to sell your art. and at the same time, it's very good practice. Below I will go into a few things when painting a pet portrait.

Next Tuesday I will be demonstrating in Holbein Fluid Acrylics at the Northland Area Art League in Woodstock. Mark your Calendars.

For anybody that was waiting to sign-up for my Greek Island trip because they wanted to make sure it was a go your wait is over, the Greek Island trip is a go and I will definitely be going with to teach you everything I know about watercolor. Go ahead and sign up, workshop information below.

YES to Class this Thursday at the Civic Center in Libertyville
YES  to Class this Saturday at The Studio in McHenry.

Cheers!

David

The absolute hardest thing about painting a pet portrait for a pet owner is getting a good reference photo of their pet. Try to get as many photos of the owners pet as possible. Then choose one that has the best lighting and composition, and watch out for the markings on the pet. The markings on a pet which will probably be big contrasts of light and dark areas can sometimes cause problems with the form and shape of the pet. Look for overall good form and lighting on the pet. A big problem with pets that are all black and have shiny fur is you loose their shape, so make sure you have good lighting that shows form.

Drawing the pet portrait is also very important, being off just a little can change the total caricature of the pet. If you need to use a projector because your drawing skills are not totally developed, then by all means use this machine to get your drawing of the pet perfect. The owner wants it to look like their exact pet, not a portrait of that breed of pet.

Don't change your style of painting when doing a pet portrait. Paint in the style you normally paint, many students tend to tighten up when painting a pet portrait trying to make it look like a photo. Make it look like a painting in your own style.

My Greek Island workshop is a definite GO!
Sign-up today!​