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Cat Portrait: Blue Cotton

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Most of my portrait work consists of dog portraits, but I’ve done a few cat portraits as well. A couple weeks ago I was feeling the need to work on a cat portrait as a nice change of pace. At that same time, a friend posted a photo of her cat on Facebook. I liked the photo and knew it would make a great practice portrait. Legally, I can’t just use reference photos without the …

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Mastiff Puppy Portrait

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Here’s a quick portrait of Hudson. This is from when he was 7 months old (five months ago). Hudson’s color and unique folds in his coat have been giving me fits ever since I started trying to paint him. With this portrait, I think I’m starting to figure out how to handle that distinctive face of his. More practice will help me nail down how to create fold patterns, and better tackle his subtle coloring. …

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Boris vs. Porcupine

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We put our beloved Boris down just over a year ago. I still miss my big buddy. Ten years was too short a time to spend with such a sweet-hearted dog. Here’s a quickie portrait of Boris after an encounter with a porcupine. Boris seemed very pleased with himself at the time. Fortunately none of the quills were very deep or in sensitive areas. Our previous dog, Reggie, a border-collie tried taking a bite out …

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Grizz Pet Portrait on Stretched Canvas

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This portrait of Grizz is my latest pet portrait which, like most of my orders, was output on stretched canvas. The photo reference I used was excellent, a well lit, colorful photo. This allowed me to concentrate on making a painting that not only accurately represented Grizz, but also conveyed an artistic “punch” of stylistic brushwork and strong, vibrant colors. Love Your Pet ForeverMy PetArtWorks page describes the portrait ordering process. Listed prices are all-inclusive …

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Diesel in a Wheat Field

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With this portrait of Diesel, like every portrait, the first creative decision is how to present her. Often this decision is easy, there is usually at least one photo reference that stands out. If I’m really lucky, that one photo will not only have a great pose with personality, but the lighting will be right (best lit from the side, hardly ever good from the front), and the focus nice and crisp. When that happens, …

Spokane Pet Expo Cutest Pet Winner

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Last fall we participated in the North Idaho Pet Expo to promote our side business, PetArtWorks pet portraits. It was our first trade show. The day before the show, while we were setting up, we were approached by the event coordinator who liked my work so much she asked if we’d be willing to offer a free portrait to the winner of the Cutest Pet Photo Contest in the Spokane Pet Expo scheduled for Spring …