~FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS~
Q: Do you work from photos?
A: Yes, I do. After you submit a CONTACT ME form, I'll get back to you and ask for at least 3 or 4 reference photos of your pet.
I require high resolution close-up shots of the
pet's head only, including the ears in their entirety. (If you crop off the tips as people often do, I'll have to guess at how they're shaped... and I might guess wrong.)
The pet should be facing forward as if he or she is staring directly into the camera. I don't need to see very much of the body or the background... just the head, thanks.
If you haven't already got suitable photos on file, take all the time you need to shoot brand new ones especially for me. No hurry! I know how hard it can be to make a cat or dog pose nicely.
After receiving your photos I'll examine them carefully and determine whether or not they are clear enough for me to work from. I'll let you know if they're not. Rest assured, this is no reflection on your skills as a photographer! It's just that I need to be able to see every tiny detail in the pet's face, otherwise I won't be able to do my job properly.
A reference photo isn't of much use to me if it's the least bit out of focus, or if part of the face is in deep shadow or too much light. Here are examples of excellent customer-provided photos:
Q: Do you work from photos?
A: Yes, I do. After you submit a CONTACT ME form, I'll get back to you and ask for at least 3 or 4 reference photos of your pet.
I require high resolution close-up shots of the
pet's head only, including the ears in their entirety. (If you crop off the tips as people often do, I'll have to guess at how they're shaped... and I might guess wrong.)
The pet should be facing forward as if he or she is staring directly into the camera. I don't need to see very much of the body or the background... just the head, thanks.
If you haven't already got suitable photos on file, take all the time you need to shoot brand new ones especially for me. No hurry! I know how hard it can be to make a cat or dog pose nicely.
After receiving your photos I'll examine them carefully and determine whether or not they are clear enough for me to work from. I'll let you know if they're not. Rest assured, this is no reflection on your skills as a photographer! It's just that I need to be able to see every tiny detail in the pet's face, otherwise I won't be able to do my job properly.
A reference photo isn't of much use to me if it's the least bit out of focus, or if part of the face is in deep shadow or too much light. Here are examples of excellent customer-provided photos:
If you can provide me with reference photos as neatly cropped and in focus as these ones, I'll have no trouble whatsoever capturing your pet in paint!
***
Q: What else do you need from me besides photos?
A: Once we've established that your reference photos are okay, I will ask for a written description of your pet's appearance. I'll have your photos to look at,
of course. But it would help if you could also use words to describe his or her eyes, nose and fur, as colours vary from one computer monitor to the other. The photos might look completely true-to-life on your screen, but not on mine.
***
Q: May I choose the clothes for my pet?
A: Yes, you may! Please tell me how you'd like your pet to be dressed. Sweaters are my specialty, but other options are available, too... such as plaid shirts, party
dresses, Sunday best clothes, Halloween costumes, and so on.
I will also need to know your favourite colours, and if there are any that you intensely dislike.
If you're having a hard time making a decision about the type of clothing and/or colours you'd prefer, feel free to leave it up to me. I'd be more than happy to make these choices for you.
***
Q: May I choose the background?
A: Sure! Just tell me what you want. An outdoor scene could include grass, sky, trees, falling snow, and so on. You'll notice that many of my portraits feature elements from nature.
As for indoor scenes, I most often fill the background with a simple wallpaper pattern in colours which complement the pet's clothing. But sometimes the background will be much more complicated than that. It all depends on what the customer wants.
If you're having a hard time deciding, I'd be happy to pick a background which will best suit your pet's personality and colouring.
***
Q. What kind of painting surface will be used in the making of my pet portrait?
A. It's up to you. Choose from either a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas or a kiln-dried wood panel.
"Gallery-wrapped" means that the canvas has been stretched in such a way that the staples are hidden on the back. This makes the painting look better when hung on a wall. A "wood panel" is shaped just like a stretched canvas, but entirely made of wood. Both can be hung as is. No need to frame them unless you really want to.
***
Q: What size will my pet portrait be?
A. That's pretty much up to you, too. The sizes most popular with my customers are indicated below, in inches:
***
Q: What else do you need from me besides photos?
A: Once we've established that your reference photos are okay, I will ask for a written description of your pet's appearance. I'll have your photos to look at,
of course. But it would help if you could also use words to describe his or her eyes, nose and fur, as colours vary from one computer monitor to the other. The photos might look completely true-to-life on your screen, but not on mine.
***
Q: May I choose the clothes for my pet?
A: Yes, you may! Please tell me how you'd like your pet to be dressed. Sweaters are my specialty, but other options are available, too... such as plaid shirts, party
dresses, Sunday best clothes, Halloween costumes, and so on.
I will also need to know your favourite colours, and if there are any that you intensely dislike.
If you're having a hard time making a decision about the type of clothing and/or colours you'd prefer, feel free to leave it up to me. I'd be more than happy to make these choices for you.
***
Q: May I choose the background?
A: Sure! Just tell me what you want. An outdoor scene could include grass, sky, trees, falling snow, and so on. You'll notice that many of my portraits feature elements from nature.
As for indoor scenes, I most often fill the background with a simple wallpaper pattern in colours which complement the pet's clothing. But sometimes the background will be much more complicated than that. It all depends on what the customer wants.
If you're having a hard time deciding, I'd be happy to pick a background which will best suit your pet's personality and colouring.
***
Q. What kind of painting surface will be used in the making of my pet portrait?
A. It's up to you. Choose from either a gallery-wrapped stretched canvas or a kiln-dried wood panel.
"Gallery-wrapped" means that the canvas has been stretched in such a way that the staples are hidden on the back. This makes the painting look better when hung on a wall. A "wood panel" is shaped just like a stretched canvas, but entirely made of wood. Both can be hung as is. No need to frame them unless you really want to.
***
Q: What size will my pet portrait be?
A. That's pretty much up to you, too. The sizes most popular with my customers are indicated below, in inches:
5x7
6x6 7x10 8x8 8x10 12x12 12x16 |
Please note that wood panels are not available from the manufacturer in all of these sizes. I don't always stock stretched canvases in every size, either. But if you tell me what you have in mind for your pet's portrait, I'll find out whether or not I can get it from my local art supplies store.
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