Frank and Hudson, a pet portrait video demonstration

Best Buddies – a Pet Portrait Video

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Nothing shakes away the winter blues (for me anyway) better than a pleasant pet portrait video set to a happy jazzy tune. I think you’ll feel the same after watching. In under four minutes you’ll see these two best buddies take shape before your eyes! This is a video of me painting in Rebelle Pro 8 a pet portrait of my dear Hudson (who passed last June) and his good buddy Frank (who is still …

Lucy and Blue

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Lucy and Blue is a combo portrait of two dogs on separate photos. I painted this portrait during the 2024 Christmas season. I created sixteen paintings in the marathon month of November (see my previous post). Using different photo references is tricky for a lot of reasons. I usually request several photo options of each pet. This helps me in the process of creating an awesome portrait. If the photos I’m given are clear enough, …

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Kai

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This Doberman Pinscher portrait really sold me on a new painting software. For 26 years I’ve used Corel Painter for my portraits. About 2 years ago I – foolishly – opted for a new subscription model for Painter. Automatic upgrades sounded good to me. Unfortunately, it’s two years later with not a single upgrade in Painter. I think I got screwed on the deal. I never thought I’d ditch Painter, but a few months back …

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Charming Chuy Terrier Portrait

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This is smilin’ Chuy. Like most little dogs, he makes up for a lack of physical stature by means of a massive personality. I love this portrait! Let me tell you why. First off, you can’t look at Smilin’ Chuy without smiling back. I think I captured his happy nature with this portrait. Secondly, in terms of technique, I love the sense of depth I created by carefully placing dark areas next to lighter areas. …

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Hobee the Basset Hound

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This is Hobee the Basset Hound. Not much to say about this happy fella, except I really like the coloring. Specifically, the way the bright blue background sets off the orangey tone of his head. I added electric orange tones on his cheeks that create a nice glowing effect, making the shadows more interesting. Since I use photos as references, it’s tempting to simply copy whatever I see there. But that’s not how I work. …

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Pet Portrait Commission: Sydney

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For this pet portrait commission of Sydney, a charming Black Lab, I used two photos as reference. In one he was dressed for St. Patrick’s day, looking into the camera wearing a green feathery luau thingy around his neck and a goofy headdress with two green Irish top-hats on springs (I’m not judging, we’ve all been there). As charming as it was, the customer requested that the St. Paddy’s gear not be included in the …

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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 …