Make sure you have a good and beautiful photo
A good and beautiful photo may be the most important aspect in creating a beautiful portret of your pet. Your pet will be painted as it appears on the photo. What you see is basically what you get, it’s as simple as that. That’s why I think it’s important to share some tips on what makes a good photo. If your pet has passed away and you don’t have a really good photo, it may still be possible to make a beautiful portret based on several photos you do have.
Good lighting
To get a sharp photo, it’s important to have good lighting. The more details are visible, the more accurate the animal can be painted. A photo taken outside and in daylight gives the best result.
Eye level
Take the photo at the animal’s eye level. This looks much prettier than a photo taken from above. Also, think about what character trait you want to see on the portrait and try to capture that.
High resolution
The higher the photo’s resolution, the more details are visible, and the better and more recognisable the animal can be painted. Of course the photo needs to be sharp. If the photo isn’t sharp, the resolution doesn’t matter either.
Focus on what matters
Know what you want to see on the painting. Do you want the whole animal or just the head and chest? I prefer to paint only the head and chest, because it allows me to put in more details and better capture the expression of the animal. It’s also possible to paint the whole animal, depending on the size of the painting. Take the photo of only the part that will be painted. Make sure it’s taken from close enough to capture the details. If you take a photo of the whole animal, make sure to at least capture details in its head, like the eyes and nose.
