5 Tips for Commissioning a Pet Portrait

Here are my top 5 Tips For commissioning a Pet Portrait

#1 Remember that in most cases you do not pay an artist by the hour.
Faster does not equal better.

What this means to you is that while it might seem super cool to place a rush on your project or beg and plead to have the artist create you portrait in a day or an hour (Uncle Benny's birthday is next week), when it comes to custom artwork faster is not always better. Plan your project ahead of time and allow your artist the time they need to create a masterpiece for you. This does not mean that desired delivery dates should not be discussed as most artists are usually willing to try to hit target dates on request. Here at Art Paw we do our very best to never miss a deadline, and I know several other talented artists that provide the same level of service to their clients.

#2 A question of decor, will it match the sofa?

Most artists are more than happy to work with a little color direction on your part. I am always tickled when folks send paint chips, however a simple shot of the room where the artwork will be placed can really clue me in on tastes and style. The best way to give your artist some creative elbow room is to just suggest either a "warm" palette (reds & oranges) or a "cool" palette (blues & greens).

#3 A good photograph makes all the difference ...shoot, shoot and shoot again

In the old days film and processing cost money, today the majority of my clients have digital cameras which should allow them to take a hundred or more shots if that is what it takes to get one great shot. My biggest tip on shooting digital is set that camera at your highest quality setting. High resolution files are the best. Also get up close to your pet, they should fill the frame.


#4 Choosing an artist

When I started my business back in 1998 there were very few artists on the web offering their talents. Today it seems like 100 more new names appear on-line each day. The best way to find an artist on-line is to just google around and look at portfolios. Find someone working in a style you like, and then check out their working terms. Do they offer a money back guarantee or proofing. Here at Art Paw we do both and yet I will be the first to admit that there are tons of great artists that do neither. If an artist does not offer you safety net terms and yet you love their style, I suggest you check out their length of time on-line, or customer testimonials. Do they have a professional looking site with their own domain name? If for any reason you are not comfortable dealing with someone via the web try to find an artist in your own city that you can meet with in person.


#5 Order your holiday gift giving pet portraits in the summer

Pet portraits have grown in popularity over the years and every portrait artist I know is totally swamped from November to Christmas Eve. Most artists have strict deadlines that they adhere to during the holidays. Order early and get your favorite artist's best unhurried work.

Next week I will post my top 5 tips for artists on managing their commissions.

2 New Painterly Dog Portraits

Rusty

Today we uploaded 2 new painterly projects. Rusty and Tupelo are two terrific big dogs with strong lines and pretty eyes. I am very close to being caught up for the first time all year. Yay for me. We only have a few portraits in-house to start from scratch.

Tupelo

And Now For Something Completely Different ...
Other Dog Art Stuff In The News:
A British performance artist and Yoko Ono have eaten a Corgi dog in public to protest the Royal family's love for Fox hunting. This seems a bit extreme to me. I have a hard time believing this person could really be a sincere animal advocate.
Read more on this story here.

One More for Georgia & Pudge

This is a new version of Georgia & Pudge. I took my detailed painterly work and then abstracted it with more filters. I sort of like this one, and at least now the earlier proofing options will seem tame. This one is nice and flat & graphic. I think for canvas I prefer the more detailed painterly work, but this might be yummy on thick watercolor paper.

Where do you find inspiration?

This weekend I found my muse at Half Price Books. When I walk into a book store I take my creative "artist brain" and my creative "business woman brain" and usually one brain will win the day and garner all of my time in their favorite department. Well Sunday I got lucky and found 2 books for each of my creative brains.

First I have to tell you about a really brilliant book for kids and adults and especially for artists. Run out and get a copy of Dr. Seuss' old book " On Beyond Zebra". I love love love this stunning book.
Here is an excerpt:
" In the places I go there are things that I see
That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.
I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends.
My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!"


This thin little children's book is the best book on creativity I have ever seen. Oh and if you do not have kids it is ok to read it out loud to your dogs.

You can order a newer copy at Amazon:


The other book I just finished reading today is Seth Godin's book "Permission Marketing". I found it dry, tedious, and repetitive. With that said I would also highly recommend it. I did gain some working knowledge that I will apply to my business. The man is no Dr. Seuss ok., and business books are as a rule not as fun as a romp in the park, but if you have an open mind you can find what you need in them. I also try to check in on Seth Godin's Blog from time to time. He has some other business books that I plan to read soon, so don't let my negative comments on his writing style keep you from learning from him. This guy knows his stuff.

English Bulldog art

Georgia & Pudge are two of my new favorite Bullies. The client requested a sort of "neutral toned" Bulldog portrait to work on a nice red wall. Sounds like they really do have great taste with lots of silver, and modern warm neutral tones in their home. The image posted here is my splashy and maybe way too colorful version that I sort of did for myself. When I proof Pudge & Georgia's humans I will be sure and include some more conservative or "toned down" options as well. While I always love design notes and input from my clients I also have to just go crazy sometimes and have fun, throwing caution to the wind. They have a signed Dali print for goodness sake, my colors can not be all that bold (crossing fingers).

Detail showing digital "paint splashes". (click to enlarge)

If you click to enlarge the detail above you will see where I have tried to get a bit messy. I used a cool splatter brush to create some fun paint texture on this piece. It is always a challenge to get loose and get messy with digital art, but when you can find your groove with it the results can be very fun. I feel like the more intentional drips and splatters I can work into a painting the more I can separate my work from more filter oriented artists. One of my favorite parts on this piece is that red splotch on the red pillow. I know, 2 adorable sweet pups and I am in love with a pillow splotch. I do also love the tiny beauty mark on Georgia's right cheek and the freckles on her left ear.

Miniature Schnauzer Dog Art

"Skye with Bone"

Yesterday I talked about American Bulldogs, today I want to talk about Mini Schnauzers and my most recent Aussie client Skye. Skye looks adorable chewing on that tasty bone. This commission is a surprise Birthday gift portrait for Skye's Dad. He will get to choose his favorite proof to be printed. This portrait is a good example of how a special candid photograph can turn out really great as a painterly style portrait.

I have not had the opportunity to create very many Schnauzer portraits in the past 9 years however I have done a few Mini Schnauzuers that I am quite proud of. Last month I worked on Micah ( see below)

"Mod Micah"

My first Mini Schanuzer was a local Dallas pup named Fannie, and she was a real cutie pie.

"Fannie on Green"

I love this breed. Of course as a Scottie person I am fond of any pup with shaggy eyebrows and a beard. I see the Mini Schnauzers as sort of a less serious version of the larger breed. They just look like little wind-up toys, and I love their playful faces.

American Bulldog Art Projects

Thunder & Taylor

Casino

It is odd how we go in breed cycles around here. Some months we will have several of one breed come in at the same time. Last week I worked on Casino an American Bulldog with a card themed background while Allison knocked out a really terrific Warhol inspired portrait of Thunder & Taylor. We are still fine-tuning both portraits a little this week.

American Bulldogs have long been a favorite breed of mine, I just love their strong lines and sleek muscles.

The American Bulldog is a working dog developed for catching livestock and for protecting property. There are generally considered to be two types of American Bulldog, the Johnson type and the Scott type, named after the breeders who were influential in developing them, John D. Johnson and Allen Scott. These are more commonly known as Classic or Bully type and Standard or Performance type. More from Wikipedia

Austin Break

We took a very brief break on Sunday and drove down to Austin. We stayed at the lovely San Jose and we hung out with Big Tommy at Barton Springs. The pics are from Monday. I figured it was about time I added a current pic of me to the web. All my pics from the bio pages are about 9 years old now, and 36 looked a lot different for me than 45.

Tommy had a blast retrieving his ball from Barton Springs. He was not a natural water dog like our Nessie, but he eventually got the hang of it.

3-D Dog art at the push of a button?

Ok so in my last post I ended by talking about a desire to get back to working with my hands a little and create some things in 3-d. Oh what a wicked harpie technology is! Now I know what the next big visual arts thing is going to be for those that are ready to take the plunge into 3-d design work. Check out the video below to see what is possible in the world of 3-d printing and model making. What a world!!!

I still remember staring at the fax machine 15 years ago in awe at the magic of technology, and now we can create 3-d objects with the ease of using a printer and computer software. It may be a few years before the price tag is feasible for a small art studio like Art Paw, but who knows maybe pet sculptures will be our next big adventure.
You can also read a great article on 3-d printing by clicking here.

Contest Reminder

Don't forget to enter Sergeant's photo contest for the chance to win a large 34 x34 pet portrait. This is a great chance to win some terrific prizes for you or your pooch.

Sergeant's Pet Care Products And Pet Specialist Steve Dale Team - Amazing videos are here

Other studio news this week:
Getting a handful of prints out the door today. My candle packaging project has been completed and should go to press next week. We have a lot of work in-house at the moment. I am hoping to carve out some time next month to take a tile mosaic class. I am so hungry to get my hands dirty with a fun craft project. I love working at the computer all day but there is something very satisfying about creating something in 3D.

I am 45 today

(above) I am the little girl in the middle with the 50 cent Toll sign .... ha always the entrepreneur. I was 7 here in this photo. It was November in Texas and we were running around with our shoes off. The two kids to the left are cousins and the boy to the right my brother.

(above) I was 2 here.

Where have the years gone? I am 45 years "young" today, I guess that is like saying the glass is half full. I am glad to be here. I am glad to be here.

In need of morning coffee?

I am dragging today. Going to focus on printing finished portraits and also my candle packaging project. I am not doing anything till I have my morning caffeine.

Just stumbled across this and while a bit off-topic for the dog blog, it fits the morning very well. So enjoy the "art coffee".

Frog The Bulldog

This morning I have been playing with Frog the Bulldog. A Flickr pal suggested I title this "English Bullfrog", I like that. This is a painterly portrait project and one of about a dozen I have on the board right now. I am trying very hard to get caught up around here. Allison will be making proof pages for Frog and a few other pups tomorrow, so check out the homepage on Weds. for changes.

All orders are being worked on in the order they were placed and paid projects are given top priority. What this means is that if you sent in a photo or two and never gave us your payment info then your project is on our pending board. Here at Art Paw we allow folks to place orders in a variety of ways and one of those includes opting to pay by phone "later". The only problem with that option is you do have to follow up and make that phone call to get your project moving. I will be spending tomorrow afternoon trying to finalize all of our dropped ball projects. If you feel you may be in that category give me a call toll-free so we can get the ball rolling again on your project ( 888-225-4278 ).

A Shutter Bug

Bee with Color
Originally uploaded by artpaw.

Old capture from 2 weeks ago. Swamped with orders right now guys ... I will blog on doggy art very soon.

I loved capturing this bee on Dan' camera. He was explaining something about my camera to me and I looked down and saw this little fellow trying to take a picture. I snapped a few and this was my favorite.

Family loss, and new stray

"Mac"

What a week. My husband lost his 95 year old Grandfather Tuesday morning and we spent the day with family. Whitman was a very sweet old guy and a real character. At 95 if you aren't called a character then you aren't having enough fun. It is often tough in family situations like these to feel like you can do enough for folks. I made tea and tried to make sure everyone had something to drink, but other than that I felt pretty helpless. Everyone is sad and misses him yet at 95 there is more of a feeling and need to celebrate his life, and share old stories. As a newcomer in my husband's family it is fun to hear all the old stories for the first time.

When we returned home that evening Dan found a stray puppy that had been dumped in the neighborhood. We were both exhausted from the day, and his phone kept ringing with loose end problems at his work. Still we worked together for over 2 hours, bathing this little guy, and picking over 100 tics off of his inner ear flaps. He was so covered in tics I do not know how he had a drop of blood left in him. It felt really nice to be able to do something for this little guy after a day of loss. He is a happy little fellow now and ready for adoption. The Scotties do not know what to make of him. I think they can tell he is just a visitor.

If you live in Dallas: please ask around and let me know if you may know of a good home for him. He is at the perfect age for adoption.

Splish Splash Photo Contest

Sergeant's is holding a photo contest with a bath time theme. Enter to win fabulous prizes including the grand prize of a 34 x 34 Custom Pet Portrait in any style by Art Paw. We are of course thrilled to have been chosen by this well known pet care supply company and we will be telling all our pals to enter. Steve Dale will be judging the entries.
Don't send us your pics .... you need to do all that over at sergeants.com. Be sure and click on the "Talk to Steve" button for some fun Flash info.
Click here to enter

Business Card Video

I have been needing to reorder and revamp our business cards around here. I stumbled across this funny video today on card design. All of you design lovers will get a kick out of it. Be sure and turn up your volume.

Chihuahua Art

Last week I worked on a couple of sweet Chihuahuas. Tug and Spike are pals. I am posting Tug's artwork today. The original image on this was another low resolution challenge. It did have a lot going for it in that the pup is adorable and "blankies" always say love, home and warmth. I am very happy with how this little pup turned out. The deep red and mint green are a new color combo for me. I enjoy working with background elements like ordinary covers, sheets and towels. It is fun to reinvent these items into rich plush fantasy linens.

Click the image below to see the pixelation that occurs when you enlarge a low resolution image.


When working with low resolution images you will find that the jagged pixelated look that occurs on enlargement has to be addressed before you can even start to play with color and texture. I have found that my best method is to blur the image to smooth it out and then burn in detail.

Design Projects

I received a couple of cases of wine last month with the label design that I completed earlier this year. Mr. Big Paws (a.k.a. Tucker) is famous now. Check out Jaffurs Wine on-line. The owner creates a wine each year that has the proceeds going to a local non profit dog park.

This month in addition to a few commissions I am working on a magazine cover, and a cool packaging project for a local candle company. I should be able to post the candle pics by the middle of June. I am very excited about all of the fun design opportunities that are coming our way lately. The candle project will also have a portion of the proceeds going to help an assortment of animal related charities.

Creating Contrast for Phoebe

This week I will print & finalize a few portraits including Phoebe. I loved the sweet expression on this pup's face. The original photo was pretty good. The main thing I needed to do was bump up the contrast and paint in some missing detail. One thing I always try to create with each piece are really deep dark blacks in the black areas. The more contrast a piece has the better. See the two details below to see what a little contrast can do.

Photoshop Tip: For those of you that dabble in Photoshop I will share one of my favorite tips for tweaking contrast. A lot of people will go right to the "Adjust Contrast" filter and slide the little slider until it looks good. That is one way to tweak the contrast however to get your blacks as deep as you may want them you will often blow out your whites too much. A better solution is to choose "selective color" and choose just your blacks and then bump them till they look right. Of course curves would be another good option.