Jes' Tiny Pet Portraits!
A custom painting of your very special animal friend, lovingly rendered in acrylic gouache on heavy-duty archival watercolor paper.
Portraits are 6.5x6" with a painted area of 4.5x4" and include a custom ready-to-hang-or-stand frame and mat, either ( handmade by Signed & Numbered, Foxy Cove style with non-glare glass ) or ( Peewee style, also with non-glare museum glass ).
*Frame and mat colors will be based on what I think looks best with the painting and what colors I have available. I will usually give you a couple options once the painting is complete. If you are very interested in a specific color, please mention it right away and we might be able to do a special order.
IF you do not want the mat and frame, there is an option without in the drop down menu, but it is a good deal!
***PLEASE READ***
Once your order is placed, I will contact you for reference photos and a little information on your pet's personality etc. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ORDER WITH AN EMAIL ADDRESS YOU CHECK REGULARLY. If you do not hear from me within 48 hours of placing your order, write me at [email protected]. Ideally you will send me between 3 and 12 good, clear photos. PLEASE get me your photos as soon as possible, within a week of my contacting you.
What makes a good photo?
Remember, I only have the photos you send to go off! Most important is that you send photos that "look" like your pet TO YOU. That means their color feels right (lighting can really affect this!), their expression looks familiar, and their personality is showing through.
Also very important is that the photo is CLEAR, well-lit, and with no filters applied. A white animal should not be overexposed or against a white background, a dark animal should not be against a dark background and should not look like a "void," unless of course that's what you want the painting to look like. Please no animals that are in motion or very far away, or, a couple photos like this are okay, but know that I wouldn't be using those as reference for the actual portrait.
I like to be able to choose from multiple photos—I promise it will turn out best if I am deciding which picture will make the best portrait!—but starting with several good options is key. It's good to have at least one full-body picture and one close up to choose from, if possible, and I think photos that make the best portraits are from eye-level with the pet (with some exceptions, such as a cat rolled onto their back and seen from above can be very lovely,) and taken in some kind of "natural" looking light (i.e. not basement fluorescents.)
One exception could be if you are looking for a memorial portrait and only have very old photos of your animal. I'm happy to work with you in this case, and we can sort it out over email :)
I cannot combine photos, and I cannot take requests for adjustments to how the pet looks in the photo, i.e. "please use this photo where her mouth is closed but make her mouth open and tongue out." I have tried it and it winds up making everything take 10x longer, and the whole thing will be much faster and smoother if we stick to _one_ reference picture :)
Once I've settled on which photo I want to use, I will mock up a composition for your approval. At that point you won't see it til it's done, which will take anywhere from four to eight weeks. Some animals are harder than others and I care very much about doing a good job. I will contact you if I am struggling to get it right and it's taking me longer than expected. If am taking longer than expected and you no longer want the portrait, I will refund you.
Ultimately, I love painting your pets and I want to make something you'll cherish forever. If you have any questions before purchasing (or after!) please feel free to email me at [email protected]; I'm happy to chat about it before you commit!