Photograph guide for a custom Family or Pet Portrait
Parka’s Reference Photo vs the final Drawing
Introduction
Firstly, thank you for your interest in one of my portraits! This page will provide you with some key information and things to consider for your pet portrait, please read everything carefully. As you may know, capturing photographs of our pets can be quite difficult, so I have provided some tips and tricks in this guide to help you capture the perfect photo to reference a portrait and will explain what will make a good photo compared to a bad one. If you’re still unsure, please feel free to email me your photographs and I will let you know whether they are suitable.
Information about your portrait
It is my goal to bring out the soul and character of the animal as well as a true likeness from your photograph. I work in the highest quality coloured pencils, paper and will provide you with a finished portrait that will last a lifetime. All portraits are hand-drawn on Hot Pressed/100% Cotton/Acid-Free/300gsm/140lb Watercolour Paper. The Coloured pencils used are to the highest standard with maximum lightfastness and maximum fade resistance of 100+ years, meaning the drawing will not fade over time. Commission subjects include Dogs, Cats, Horses, Rabbits and other British Wildlife.
Once your portrait is complete and you’re happy I will ship it out to you recorded special delivery. If you’re mainland UK, shipping is roughly between £10.00 & £30.00 depending on portrait sizing. Worldwide shipping is also available, shipping estimates will be discussed at the time of booking.
I offer a bespoke framing service to all finished portraits at my local professional framers, who can help choose the perfect frame to suit the portrait and emphasise all the details. If you would like your portrait professionally framed please get in touch with me for a quote.
Each finished portrait will come with its own Certificate of Authenticity signed by myself and an artwork aftercare guide.
A 50% non-refundable booking fee is required at the time of the booking to secure a slot in my diary. I will email you an invoice that will provide the remaining balance and payment details, the full balance will be paid when you’re 100% happy.
Prints of your finished portrait will be available to buy afterwards if you’d like an extra one for your home or for friends or family. I can also adjust the colours to black and white in case you would like something a little different to the original. Each print will be professionally printed to the highest standard, using archival pigment inks with lightfastness ratings of 100+ years.
Each Print will also come with its own signed Certificate of Authenticity.
Good Examples of photographs for your portrait
Parka’s reference photo
good photo: the direction of the hairs can be seen, clear reflections on eyes, nose detail, and the true colour of his coat.
Parka’s finished portrait
GOOD portrait PHOTOGRAPH Tips
Photographs should be taken on a smartphone camera or digital camera with a high resolution in order to capture as much detail as possible.
The eyes are important, they’re the windows to the soul after all! Try and focus on the eyes when taking the photo, if they’re not in focus then it’ll be difficult to portray your pet accurately.
Take the photo in natural daylight as it reflects the true colour of their coat, either outdoors or by a window or skylight, (but not direct sunlight!)
Capture the photo at the same level as your pet, so the camera is in line with their eyes as this ensures proportions are correct and eliminates dodgy angles. For maximum impact get close and fill the frame with your pet.
Can you zoom in? This is important, if you can zoom in and see the individual hairs and a good reflection in their eyes then it will make a good portrait. See the photographs above for an example of this.
The better the picture, the better the portrait will be. Try and take clear and sharp images with little movement. If you’re struggling with your pet keeping still, try holding a treat or toy in front of the camera to hold their gaze while you take their photo!
For a full-body portrait, all of the above applies - the proportion is key and being able to see the direction of the hairs on your pets’ coat, whatever stance they may be in.
If you’re still unsure, don’t panic! Feel free to send me multiple photos and I will help you choose.
Bad photograph examples for portraits
bad photo: the angles and distance from the camera distorts the proportions and detail is lost.
bad photo: avoid taking a photo when your pet is moving - action shots/blurry photos will not be suitable for a portrait.
bad photo: any dark/artificial lighting will not work as it doesn’t portray the true colour of your pets’ coat.
Things to avoid when taking your photo for your portrait
Avoid taking photographs when it’s dark and there’s a lot of artificial lighting as this alters the true colour of your pets’ coat and the depth of their face is lost.
Do not take your photographs using Snapchat, Instagram or any other social media platform as the camera is at a lower resolution and detail is lost. Always take your photos either using a digital camera or on your smartphone camera.
Do not screenshot pictures from social media, save the image first and send them to me via Email to keep the highest resolution of the photograph intact.
Avoid taking photographs at a distance or looking down at your pet, this distorts proportions and eliminates detail.
Do not use the cameras flash and avoid harsh shadows on their face.
(If your pet has sadly passed away (I’m sorry) don’t worry! Send me the photographs you have and we will work something out)
