I have been thinking about adding pet portraits to my etsy store in time for the Christmas season. I am a bit hesitant to do this as capturing living portraiture is a lot different than working on brick and mortar construction. I was pleased with the portraits I did of Ding Dong Dog and The World’s Best dog, so I thought if I was able to do a black cat acceptably, I would consider it. This is not quite done as I think I want to do more on the background, but it is basically finished as far as the cat goes. Black cats are very hard to photograph well enough to get the details I need to be able to see and this was no exception. I tried to delineate his body with the pen and ink and add texture with the watercolors without getting overly bogged down in the details.
I am now working on a pair of black cats and after they are done, I will make my decision. What do you think of this little guy.
Here are links to some of the other animal portraits.
(https://ruthsartwork.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/ding-dong-dog/
https://ruthsartwork.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/dogs-and-daisies/
https://ruthsartwork.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/a-boy-and-his-dog-and-a-lollipop/
Aug 15, 2013 @ 21:12:37
Lovely cat! The fur and the highlights are really great! I think it would be so hard to capture the eyes just right to make an animal look like one in a photo. But if you feel confident about it, you should do it! People will be able to see your work and decide if it’s the kind of style they want. So why not?
Aug 15, 2013 @ 22:15:21
My confidence seems to vary according to the project. LOL I guess the question of style is important. I went back to the older portraits and realized that I had used the nib pen for them and it gives a stronger line than the technical pen. I’ll have to take that into account.
Aug 16, 2013 @ 17:19:32
I think pet portraits would be great for your store. Love the cat and I remember each and every one of the other three. Good job, Ruth!
Aug 16, 2013 @ 17:23:07
Thanks, Leslie. It is still a little intimidating to do it for someone else. With the others, I only had to please myself.
Aug 16, 2013 @ 21:07:03
I think this guy is great. And pet portraits always sell. Good luck with them.
Aug 17, 2013 @ 08:48:55
Thanks, Carol. I have been looking at it for a couple of days now and I think I need to even out his eyes. One is bigger than the other.