Commissions

Portraiture - Commissions

A lasting tribute to a best friend

I’ve had the privilege of painting the portraits of a number of treasured pets now and every one has been a reflection of that individual animal’s character and spirit.

I paint all my portraits by hand in high quality pastels, usually on Canson Mi-Teintes pastelmat (sometimes I’ll use a sanded paper or velour if the subject requires it). I work from photos, but rather than producing a painted copy of a photograph, I pride myself on creating artwork that delves deeper than just appearance. My aim is to capture the essence of your animal and remind you of the special connection they hold with you.

Portraits can take six-weeks to paint, and I often have a full order book, so please allow plenty of time if you would like to commission me. Please contact me to chat through your requirements, and what I need from you to create the best possible result.

Testimonials

“Darren’s mum was absolutely thrilled with the picture of her dog – it brought her to tears (in a good way!). Thanks so much again”.

“Just got back from giving Lou her birthday present. She is delighted with your lovely picture. She said it perfectly captures Nelly. Thank you very much for all the work you put into it.”

Commissioning - instructions

I’m taking orders now for pet commissions in beautiful soft pastels. It takes me approximately 6 weeks from start to finish so make sure you leave plenty of time if this is for a special occasion! I’ll ask you to send me photos first (www.wetransfer.com is a great way to do this) which I’ll assess to make sure they give me enough information to produce a painting you will love (see “The importance of good photos” below).
We’ll chat about your pet so I can learn a little about their foibles and unique personality traits, and talk through your requirements. Once you’re ready to go ahead, I ask for a non refundable deposit of 25% of the quoted price. I can send you progress photos as I go along, or you can wait to see the finished work. I want to you to be delighted with your painting and will make sure it is as you want it before asking for the balance in full. Paintings are dispatched unframed and carefully wrapped in glassene which protects the pastels from smudging. I can arrange framing however this will add to the postage cost as we will need to use a specialist art courier. Prices for an unframed pastel painting of one animal, head and shoulders, not including postage, start at: 

A4 - £150

A3 - £175

A2 - £250

A1 - £400

I can quote for other sizes, full body and group portraits. Just drop me a line.

The importance of good photos

I produce my best work when I have clear photographs to work from. Here are a few tips to help you take photos that will provide me with the information I need to create your pet portrait.

I’ll ideally need 3-4 clear and focused photographs of your pet – it’s especially important that their eyes are well lit and clearly in focus. Phone cameras these days are superb, and entirely up to the job! Just make sure you set it to the highest possible resolution.
Photograph your pet in natural light – outside or by a large window. This will give me an accurate sense of their colouring and help me to pick out the important details.
Try to avoid a really bright day when the sun will cast deep shadows and throw glaring highlights which can make important details disappear, and cause your pet to squint (no-one likes the sun in their eyes!). Cloud cover on a sunny day will create a lovely diffuse light and is therefore best for capturing a useful image.
Have the sun behind and slightly to one side of you so it lights up the view of your pet you want me to see.
It’s usually best to take photographs at eye level with your pet to avoid distortion or an unnatural pose. For a head and shoulder portrait it helps to have the subject in a 3/4 pose rather than completely face or side on. Of course you might prefer a quirky pose that focuses the attention on a favourite feature. I’m happy to chat this through with you, or review a few of your photos to make recommendations of what would work best.
Try to get as close as possible so your pet fills the camera’s view finder. My portraits focus on the animal, so I prefer to minimise backgrounds or keep them out of focus. Of course, if a particular background is important to you, I can discuss this with you and quote for the additional detail.
Sometimes people struggle if they have an especially fidgety pet. If possible have a friend with you who can tempt and distract them with a treat or similar while you take the photo. With a digital camera, you can happily snap away until you get the best photo possible for your pet portrait.

All that being said, sometimes a beloved pet is no longer with us, and its only after they’ve gone you realise that you spent more time snuggling them than taking their photo (which is, of course, completely as it should be). Please contact me about sending any and all photos you have so I can assess whether I have enough information there to create a portrait that you can be happy with.

Some of Liz's past commissions.