New Pet Portrait Pendant

Meet Puddles; an adorable photogenic cat who has now been immortalized in a pendant.

Puddles has been recreated in this original miniature painting which was done with high quality acrylic paints on a wooden tile. The painting was then sealed on every surface, and then received a high-gloss resin finish which gives it a very polished look. The finished effect is similar to that of a heavy glass pendant, but it is actually very lightweight. The pendant features a medium silver-plated aanraku bail securely fastened to the back, and comes with an 18 inch (45.72 cm) beige Chinese silk cord with a lobster claw clasp.

I LOVE doing these pet portrait pendants! Being an animal-lover and owner of two rescue dogs myself, it brings me great joy to create something of such meaning for another.

If you're interested in commissioning your own pet portrait pendant, you can find them here. Have a wonderful day.

A Step-By-Step Journey Through The Creation Of A Pet Portrait

I have just completed another commissioned oil paint pet portrait on canvas, and this one I can share with you! In anticipation of sharing what is now one of my favorite portraits, I took photographs of the work in progress from beginning to end so that I could share with you what I do from the moment a client contacts me to the delivery of the painting.

Step One: I am given a photograph, either digital or print, to work from. It is important to keep in mind that the better the photo, the better the portrait. (For tips on taking great pet photos, click here.) The client and I discuss how he or she wants the portrait to look, and I get started. Here's the original photo I had to work from for this portrait.

Step Two: Next I sketch out the portrait on gallery-wrapped canvas with staple-free edges. I usually begin painting the background and lay down a wash of colors for the subjects.
Step Three: I typically leave the faces of my subjects for last, so the next thing I did was paint in the darks and midtones on the bodies, and some of the darks on the faces.
Step Four: Next I worked on the face of the Great Dane on the right, and then continued to add the highlights to the face and the body. In this photo the subject on the right is complete, except for some minor tweaking I always do at the very end. What a good-lookin' dog! ;)
Step Five: Next I worked on the Great Dane on the left. Here he is with all the midtones and darks, and maybe a smidge of highlights on the face. He looks like a zombie dog without all the highlights.
Step Six: Finally, I finish with the highlights on the Great Dane on the left, on both his face and his body. At this point I usually stand back away from the canvas and look at the entire portrait, and then come back and tweak a highlight here and add a shadow there. Then, this is the finished product!
After that, the next step is hopefully meeting a happy client, and giving said ecstatic client his or her portrait. ;) I hope you enjoyed the step-by-step process!

Featured Etsy Seller - Christy's Critters

It's time for another fabulous Etsy seller interview! Meet Christy of Christy's Critters, a fellow pet portrait artist, but in a different medium than my own. ;)

Who are you?

My name is Christina (Christy). My Etsy shop is Christy's Critters (cbarjcrafts).

Where are you located?

I live in a city called Statesville, just north of Charlotte, North Carolina.

What do you do/create?

I work in clay most of the time, creating custom sculptures of people's pets and some of my own original ideas. I also enjoy painting in acrylics, when I have time, which isn't very often anymore.

When did you start creating; how did you start doing what you do?

Like most people who create art, I've been doing something or another most of my life (I'm 30). The clay bug hit me back in 2001, just after the September 11th attacks, when I wanted to do something patriotic and my Mom gave me some polymer clay and an idea she had for a lapel pin. From there it went to making beads, then simple 'critters', and eventually evolved into the animals I make today. I really enjoy sculpting animals due to the 'instant gratification of dimension', which is something I really struggle with on paper and canvas at times.

Where do you create/work?

My FANTASTICALLY FABULOUS and generous Mom has allowed me to turn my old room at her house into an 'art studio' of sorts. It's really made all the difference to have the space to myself and not have to worry about cleaning up everytime I leave. I share my studio space with my ferret. So I guess it's kind of a dual purpose room.

What is your most popular item that you create?

Most popular item? Probably custom ornaments at Christmas.

What do you do when you are not creating/working?

I look after my flock of chickens and ducks, go bird watching, love on my dogs, take photography walks, and read. Oh and surf all the great Etsy shops of course!
Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I think if I were to share anything else it would be: Never give up on your creative inclinations, you never know where they may lead you! I am a firm believer that everyone is an artist of some sort- you don't have to paint beautiful pictures or sculpt works that would put Michelangelo to shame. If you doubt your artistic abilities, just go hang out with a bunch of 1st graders and see how much enthusiasm they put into their work. It may not be as refined as some aesthetic sensibilities require, but they are most definitely enjoying themselves which is the most important part of creating.


You can also read more about what Christy is up to on her blog. Be sure to check out her Etsy shop! She has so many fun and beautifully created pieces of animal art.