Painting Jameson, a pet portrait!

Jameson is a Lab-Great Dane mix that I had the pleasure of painting.  His owner, Lauren, is now teaching in Mexico, while Jameson is living with his Grandparents in Fridley, Minnesota!  It is nice to bring owner and pup together while they are really so far apart.

Type: Commission Pet Portrait. 

The Pet Portrait Process

When Lauren took her teaching position in Puebla, Mexico, she knew she would be separated from Jameson for the next year.  We decided it would be fun to do a painting of Jameson.  Before we started she gathered her photos and took several more.    

The beginning of any pet portrait process is to find the images that bring out your pet's personality and character.  In Jameson's case, he is a tall slender guy with a sparky personality.  Jameson's favorite thing to do when Lauren first comes home from an extended trip is to hide her shoes...I mean, who can go anywhere without their shoes, right? Smart boy Jameson!  So Lauren sent me a series of images she liked and then we narrowed them to these three.

The second image had beautiful color but his eyes were closed.  I created a drawing of my choice.

Lauren was happy with the drawing but she felt the second photo more closely fit Jameson's real personality.  So, I used the second photo to create another drawing, but used the third to draw his eyes.  I also cropped the first image to a narrower space to emphasis that Jameson is tall. And, less is more, so I simplified the background overall. I forgot to take a picture of the new drawing by itself but it passed with flying colors.  You can see it on the right of the first few painting photos.  After approval, I transferred it to a 10" x 20" canvas.

I like to set up my portraits with photos, drawings and other reference materials as close to the painting as possible.  I find that when I am creating it is easier to have visual references immediately available for comparison.  If I am working with a live model, the world is set up completely different, so this is just my process when working from photos. As you can see, I keep the reference photos that are the same size on the same plain so that I can use them for comparative measurements to the painting throughout. 

In the drawing, I planned to include the deck railings.  But as I began to paint, it just distracted from the main event, so I ended up leaving them out. Sometimes following the original reference photos just doesn't work in the final painting.  Don't be afraid to edit as you go to improve the composition and flow of your work.  Remember "less is more" when it comes to visual design.

In Lauren's original photo, Jameson's eyes are closed. As I was developing his image and coat, I found that it was easier for me to just paint what I was seeing, knowing I would need to open up those beautiful eyes at some point.  I completed the rough in and really pushed the detail pretty far before I ventured into adding his eyes.  Normally I put the eyes in first, as they inspire me, but in this case working in so much black, I varied from my normal painting process. I used a reference photo with just his eyes peaking out at me to create their likeness.  You can see the reference it to the left of my painting.  The reason I selected this image was that, although the angle is different, the shading is similar.  Thus it gave me the closes idea of what an eye in shadow and an eye in light would look like.  

In the final painting, I refined the background and had fun with the flower/veggie pots.  It was a really rewarding project! 

I will deliver the final painting of Jameson to Lauren and my son Tyler when I visit them this winter. 

#petportrait #labportrait #petpaintings #howtopaintpets