Pet portraits that outlast the leash
Notes on commissioning a pet portrait that will still feel personal in twenty years, with examples from recent commissions.
The face is the whole story
With pet portraits, the face is doing 90% of the emotional work. We give twice as many strokes to the eyes and muzzle as to the rest of the body, and we usually recommend a fairly tight crop.
Backgrounds are supporting actors
A busy background competes with the animal. If the source photograph has a distracting background, we’ll usually replace it with a soft painterly wash in a colour that flatters the coat.
A note on age
We can paint older pets from older photographs. If you’re commissioning a portrait as a memorial, send us three or four favourite photographs and a sentence or two about the animal. Nancy reads every one of these emails.