Painting the Perfect Picture – A walk through the process
Here we specialise in creating deeply personalised portrait of your pets, but have you wondered about all the work that goes into painting the perfect one? Let’s lift the curtain a bit and show how we blend technical skill and emotional storytelling to capture your pet on canvas.
This guide will walk you through the foundations of good reference material and knowledge of anatomy through to the more artistic elements like using expressive brush strokes to create a painting which you can cherish for years to come.
First steps – Light and Composition
As we most often work from photos that our client has already captured, this bit might be of most interest to you. The client has some power here to provide great reference material to paint from. Of course, we always help with choosing a photo and making sure it has the best balance of light, character and strong composition.
Shapes and Shadows
Light is what gives a subject form and atmosphere. Soft natural light is the best for panting as it gives very true colours for your pets fur and softens shadows without making the subject look too flat.
Light coming from a nearby window, either side on or slightly in front of your pet, is perfect for creating a great reference photo.45 degrees is the perfect angle for light to be hitting the subject of a painting. Avoid using flash photography as this can distort colours and flatten features. When painting, every shadow and detail captured in a well lit picture will help in creating structure and realism.
Set the Stage
A strong composition builds the foundation for a successful portrayal. What parts of your pet do you want to include? You could include just the face for a focus on your pets emotionality, head and shoulders for a classic bust painting or a full body painting to capture your pets physicality or a moment of action.
After that, consider where your pet will be placed in the painting. Would centered, or slightly off frame be more suitable? For an energetic resemblance it might be best to consider a dynamic pose – maybe raising a paw or chasing a toy. A great way to lift a paintings composition is to use the rule of thirds. This means breaking your composition into thirds horizontally and vertically and placing your point of focus at one of the crossing points of your lines – often the eyes will be placed here to draw the viewer into the painting.
Capturing Character
An intentional pose
The pose you choose for your pet tells a story about them. A greyhound lounging on your couch, deep in a nap speaks of elegance and a regal nature whereas a spaniel, mid-bound into a puddle reflects energy and goofiness. For a formal painting, a static front facing picture may be perfect but a tilt of the head or perk of an ear can give warmth and personality to a painting.
When gathering reference images, oftentimes it’s best to have several images to work from. One of them will be the main reference while others can be supportive in capturing other details or elements of the subject and their personality.
Eyes are the Window to the Soul
The key to any painting is the eyes – they are the emotional anchor which draws the viewer in. They can be expressive and full of life and it’s the tiny details which make a huge difference here. The shape and colour of the pupil and iris are so individual to each animal and it’s important that these are right. Tiny highlights, known as catch lights, give life and energy to the eyes, creating a glossy look. It’s important to remember your lighting when painting eyes as highlights and direction of the eyes themselves should match the lightsource for consistency.
Understanding Form and Structure
Creating a beautiful painting relies on making sure the foundations of form and structure are correct. A basic knowledge of animal anatomy will make sure you place features correctly and that your painting doesn’t end up in the ‘uncanny valley’ where something feels a bit off but you can’t work out why. While getting an expression just right brings a painting to life, getting what’s under the fur correct gives realism and structure to the painting.
Know the Skeleton and Muscle Structure
Study a variety of animals and how they compare to one another; how does the width of their skull affect the shape of their muzzle? Does the slope or depth of their eyes affect how light hits them? Try to understand how a shoulder slopes into leg and where they connect. Changes in direction of fur, the connection point of joints and the different planes of the face all dictate how an animal looks and are key to capturing a lifelike piece.
Capturing different animals’ likeness is mostly down to practice and observation – a day spent sketching at the Dead Zoo is a great way to practice, or turn on a nature documentary and pause on any interesting poses you see. Try to capture them quickly, what are the integral pieces of anatomy that mark them out? Dogs vary so much based on breed, try drawing a Jack Russel Terrier’s head and then compare that to drawing a French Bulldog. Where dogs can be bounding and playful, cats are built to be flexible and sleek made up of graceful and sloping lines. Horses can be a different ball game altogether with their elegant heads and complicated bodies and legs.
It’s all In the Details
I know every step so far has been ‘the most important step’ but they all build on each other to make a beautiful resemblance. Thankfully, by the time it comes to the details, most of the hard work is done and you can zone in on the small strokes that will make your painting sing.
Fur and its texture is a challenge particular to animal paintings. Feathers, scales, flowing locks or sleek coats all require different and careful rendering to look natural.
To get fur, or any other texture right, you need to start with an underpainting or base layer establishing your general colours. From there you layer your mid tones to build volume and add directional strokes to suggest how the fur flows. Finish this off with some highlights and stray hairs to give texture and realism. Move from larger brushes to smaller as you move to more detailed work.
For the eyes, pay attention to gentle gradients and some crisp edges and sharper contrasts to give depth and life. Remember your use of light and highlights here. Noses are a different challenge, with a rougher texture than skin. Careful use of brushstrokes and highlights here will give the right effect without looking too rugged. Add whiskers as a finishing touch. There are lots of ways to do this but a very fine soft brush and a confident flick of the wrist is perfect for capturing these fine hairs.
A Final Look
As you near the finish line of your painting remember to take a step back and squint – are all the major shapes and shadows still looking good? Do you need to adjust any contrasts to pull a detail forward? Adjust any highlights to draw the eye to the focal point and add your final details with care. At this point I often like to take a break, go for a walk or have a cup of tea, so I can come back to the piece with a fresh critical eye. Once you’re happy with your work, sign it and set it aside to dry – congratulations, you’re finished!
You can probably see quite clearly now that painting a piece is more than just copying a photo. It’s an exercise in technical and artistic skill with lots of patience and love thrown in as well. Creating a personal, individual painting is always a challenge but one that I’m happy to rise to in my little studio, daylight coming over my shoulder to hit my easel, pot of coffee on the table beside me and my own spaniel at my feet. Every measured brushstroke is a chance to honour your pet and create something special for you to cherish.