photo guide
Each portrait requires a high quality reference photo to work with. Essentially, the more detail you can give me within a photo, the more I can capture of your beloved furry friend for you!
Enlarging a photo to suit this just does not work - some photos have a tendency to pixelate when they are enlarged and this looses the integral details I need to make a realistic and highly accurate portrait with true likeness.
I will always happily discuss the perfect photo with you before we get started, this is so very important to get just right!
YES
NO
Quality
The quality of the photo is everything. I need to be able to zoom in to study eyes and noses, mouths and those glints in the eye that will make your portraits POP and allow the character to shine through the portrait. I will be zooming in on every detail of the photo so a zoomed in image is a definite NO NO.
Lighting
The best light is natural light, outdoors, or if you must be indoors, facing a window. Direct bright sun can sometimes create unflattering photos and loose details. Also for this reason please avoid using a flash, as it can startle the pet and wash out details, creating an unnatural expression and a rather flat photo. If you'd like to use a professional photo, make sure you have the photographer’s permission.
Taking the photo
Try to take a photograph as CLOSE to the subject as possible. This will help the image stay in focus when I zoom in. If the subject is further away it will likely blur when enlarged.
Professional photographers take hundreds of the same shot, to get the perfect one so go for it! I don't mind if you send me multiple images, I will try to advise which ones might translate best into a coloured pencil drawing.
All portraits and original pieces are mounted with a beautiful sage green ribbon and silver wax stamp ready for gifting on arrival. Sometimes clients want to gift but just do not have a suitable photo, and for these clients to remove that stress, I can offer you a gift voucher.