The customer wanted a portrait of both her dogs together. No problem. She provided several photos of each dog. Again, no problem; I can sketch both dogs together as my starting point.
I painted Millie as a small terrier and Bear as a medium-size dog and sent a proof. Almost immediately I received a panicked reply saying that both dogs are the same size! She was afraid the portrait was set in concrete at that point and she would forever be stuck with a size mismatch.
But it was not a problem because I paint each portrait digitally and changes are very easy to make.
I revised the portrait and she was quite relieved and happy with the result.
But now, when painting dogs from separate reference photos, I always ask for a photo of the dogs together so I can properly judge the size relationships. If no photo is available, I specifically ask about sizes. Even though mistakes are easy to fix, I still prefer to avoid them.
Love Your Pet Forever
I create custom portraits from your photographs, so you can love your pet forever. I paint all portraits digitally by hand (not photo-filtered) to create beautiful and lasting portraits printed on artist canvas and delivered to your door ready-to-hang.
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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.