These are all dogs... Do you paint other animals? 
Yes! Dogs have been my primary subject, but I would love to branch out.

Can I have more than one pet in the painting? 
Yes, at a custom price. Fill out a commission request form to start the process.

Will I need to frame the painting? 
Great news - no! (But you can, if you want!) I include edge painting on all of my portraits. I recommend putting a nail in the wall and hanging it right up!

What is edge painting?
I paint the edges of the canvas too, wrapping the image around the sides. I love this approach because it gives the painting a continuous feel - and means you don't need to frame it since the sides are part of the art. 

What is a gallery wrapped splined canvas?
A gallery-wrapped canvas means the canvas wraps around the edges of the wooden frame and is secured on the back, leaving the edges smooth and free of visible fasteners. "Splining" refers to a method of attaching the canvas to the frame. Instead of using staples on the back (which I find less aesthetically pleasing), the canvas is pressed into a groove on the frame and held in place with a rubber spline.

What is ink transfer?
This is a technique I've developed! First, I photoshop the image to remove the background, adjust lighting, convert it to black ink only, scale it to the canvas, and flip the image (so it doesn't end up reversed in the final piece!). Then I print several copies.
Next comes the wild part... after hand-painting a base layer of color, I apply medium and adhere the paper to the canvas (it always feels scary!). After it sits for 24 hours, I scrub away all the paper fiber until only the ink is left. This usually takes 4-6 rounds of scrubbing and drying. The paper is fully removed, it is not collage. Then I continue layering on paint and line work detail. All color is hand-painted, only black ink is transferred.

Why is your price so high for full pet portraits? I can find pet paintings online for much cheaper.
It is totally okay to ask this! Here is what goes into my pricing:

• I use very high quality canvas and paints and seal my work with UV protecting top coat, meaning this piece will last a lifetime. The canvas alone for my premium pet portraits retails at $62.
• Many "pet paintings" you see online are not hand-painted products. They're often called "paintings" but if you read closely, they're prints of digital paintings. This is a great option if you're looking for a lower price point. Just not the same thing.
• Many other pet paintings only include a solid background. My canvases are generally richer and more detailed. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples if you shop around.
• My full portraits include a pre-painting digital design phase and advanced photo editing. Just the preparation phase (reviewing images, making mockups, digitally painting background concepts) usually takes 3-5 hours.
• My paintings are layered and rich. On average, I spend 25-30 hours on the painting process.
• So, there you have it... ~35 hours of work and $100 of supplies goes into a single full portrait.

All of that being said, if you really want a portrait but cannot afford the price, please fill out a commission request and include that in your message. I'm able to do a limited number of reduced rate portraits, on a sliding scale pay model.

Will you include people in your pet portrait?
No. People are not in my subject matter preference or expertise.

What kind of photo works best? 
Mini portraits: "Shoulders up" - basically closer up photos of your dogs face! Including your dog's whole body in a mini-portrait usually does not work well. I'm particularly fond of photos where their face shows emotion or them doing something silly.

Full portraits: I will need lots of photos (videos are great too), so I can get a realistic sense of your pet's coloring, how their eyes shine in the light, etc. From there, I can design a composition.When you send me photos, I'll ask you to tell me which images capture your pet's personality the most.  Silly poses (like the golden retriever portrait) work great, as do more traditional poses (sitting, standing, etc). 

What if I'm unhappy with the painting? 
So far, this has never happened. 🙂 Full portraits include a digital mockup (see examples here), so as long as you are engaged with the design and painting concept phase, we can both feel confident you'll love the final result.

I don't have the perfect picture that captures their essence and a cute pose... can you still work with me?
This is a great fit for a full portrait! Whereas the minis are pretty much "from photo," the premium portraits include advanced image editing and combining. I'll still need clear resolution photos with good lighting, but I can combine images to create the right pose - for example, pulling their facial expression from one photo and their body position from another.

Still have a question? 
Please contact me, I'd love to hear from you!