Colour has always been a rudimentary aspect of painting, it’s story in art is long and very fertile, from the early cave paintings to today’s advanced laser lights. Understanding colour, and how colours interrelate with each other, is an crucial part of painting. Pet portraits for example, will necessitate the use of harmonious colours to produce the sort of result the customer will be looking for. (more…)
There is a certain skill in capturing the sense of movement in a motionless image like a painting. It is a problem that, artists who specialise in pet portraits, are only too familiar with. Furthermore, if done properly, it will greatly add to the potency of the image being created. (more…)
Over the past few years miniature painting has gained new interest, partly down to the increased curiosity in calligraphy. Calligraphy itself is linked to book illumination, the harbinger of miniature painting techniques. Miniature painting found popularity during the 17th century as a technique for producing portraits of loved ones, enabling the owner to take their likeness around with them. (more…)
Whether an artist is specialising in pet portraits, landscapes, or traditional portraits, keeping colours as pure as possible is an important part of producing paintings that look fresh an clean.
The appearance of any colour is dependant on the circumstance in which it is seen. The way colours are seen is effected by the colours adjacent to it and on which it is set. (more…)
We all would like our cats to have that ‘just walked out of a pet portrait‘ look, with shiny coat and bight eyes. But the inescapable truth is that our little heroes will, on occasion, pick up fleas. Spring is the time of year when they become susceptible to infestations, but with the milder winters we’re having, cats can be affected all year round with this problem. (more…)
Stretched canvas is a very popular option for pet portrait artists as a support for their paintings. Nonetheless, there are substitute supports that can be just as worthy when you don’t have any canvases to hand. Wood has traditionally be used as a support for oils and indeed, is one of the earliest forms of support for painting. (more…)
With a few painting techniques, similar to those used by many pet portrait artists, detail is an important part of the completed picture. In light of this, it is always recommended that you create preliminary drawings, but what’s the easiest way to transfer the finished drawing to the canvas? In past times, artists have used 3 methods to do this, the following explanations describe the principle behind them. (more…)
For a great many artists, including those who specialise in pet portraits, stretching their own canvas not only saves money on commercially prepared canvases, but also provides them with a better quality result. Generally, commercially prepared canvases tend to be quite light weight with just the minimal number of primer layers needed. When we prepare our own canvases we select the quality of canvas, stretcher bars and primer that suits our painting style, so creating something that will work perfectly with our finished painting and greater chance of surviving in good order. (more…)
Pet portraits in oil can be varnished to create a protective layer that protects the picture from the atmosphere, it also produces a uniform finish, whether gloss or matt. Given time a varnish will itself be attacked, collecting dust and dirt, sometimes cracking and finally discolouring. Therefore, any varnish has to be easily removed and replaced by a fresh layer. (more…)
A crucial part of any painting, whether a pet portrait or abstract picture, is the relationship in colour and tone. Tone is the amount of light and shade in the picture, it exists independently of colour and can be calculated on a scale which goes from white through greys to black. The sensation of colour is created by the eye’s response to light of certain wavelengths; pure colour exists only as light, and as far as painters are concerned, all colours are also modified by tonal value. (more…)