I've been buried in pet portrait commissions all of November with absolutely no time to blog. Tonight, I'm taking a moment to post a portrait from way back in May of this year, and I'll have more to say about my busy November once I finalize my commissions.
The thing I love most about painting pet portraits is when I can successfully convey the personality of the pet. It depends a lot on the photos that are submitted. If they give me a broad range of looks and lighting conditions, it makes my job easier. And I can usually enhance a personality through lighting and relying on my experience in painting different poses and such.
In my mind, the key to capturing the personality of a pet is all in the eyes. If I can nail the look of a beloved pet's eyes, nine times out of ten the client will love it.
Sometimes, I get a photo that needs very little in the way of artistic enhancement. That was the case with Hugo. The photos were generally decent, but this pose stood out for obvious reasons. The original had the eyes slightly obscured in shadow, but I wanted them to stand out so I painted them as the center of interest, and… wow! I love those eyes!
There are two other aspects of this painting that I really like.
The added colors in the fur patterns add interest and rhythm to the portrait, and the complimentary color scheme of the background blue and foreground orange/gold provide compositional balance to the piece.
Hugo (digital, 16x16)
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About the Author
Topdog is Steve Merryman, a retired graphic designer, illustrator, and unrepentant asshole. Steve can usually be found working on a portrait commission or some other artwork. Steve fills his days by painting, writing, shootin' guns, cuttin' trees, hiking with his dogs, and savoring a beer or two, all while searching for the perfect cheeseburger. He studiously avoids social media and is occasionally without pants.