Finding the Right Artist to Paint a Lasting Portrait of Your Beloved Pet
If you Google the term "pet portraits" you'll see countless sites offering to create an original image of your pet. Some of them offer to insert your pet's head onto a Renaissance outfit or a general's uniform. Other sites offer for you to choose from a list of artists that represent a style fitting your taste, and some are local photography studios Google has found based on your location.
The options go on and on. The cost of pet portraits from the "Sponsored" sites on Google (the top row of your search page) range from $9.95 to $169.00. Many of the sites do what you could probably do by yourself with Instagram or by applying filters with Photoshop, (and then sending your images off to be professionally printed). I'm not knocking any of these sites nor have I tested their quality, but reading various reviews (not the on-page testimonials) most people are disappointed with the results. I've also seen some images that friends have had done - some were almost decent and some were downright pitiful. You get what you pay for.
If, however, your tastes run toward fine art and you decorate your home with one-of-a-kind artwork, you may wish to commission a known artist to create an original oil painting of your pet on canvas. But - where to turn? Finding the right artist can be a daunting task.
In some cases grieving pet owners who have recently lost a loved one wish to memorialise their pet with a quality portrait that honours the love they gave and love you returned. This was my case. After our dog Rocky passed away, it was at least a year before we could even look at photos of him, and even longer before we could contemplate getting another dog. When we finally began to go through our photos of Rocky, we decided to research having his portrait painted. We quickly got lost, intimidated and disillusioned.
But then it hit me. We have several original oil paintings by an artist we just adore, Caroline Zimmermann. We had occasion to meet her at one of her gallery shows in Southern California and felt a strong connection. Low and behold, I went to her artist's website and discovered she had not only a page dedicated to animal portraits, and a whole page of samples of her commissioned paintings (landscapes, seascapes, and yes, pet portraits!) but also a downloadable pdf - an 8 page pet portrait brochure! This brochure explains the whole process of commissioning a painting step by step. By the time you read through this you realise how much this artist loves painting animals. We were impressed by her remarkable ability to capture the soulful eyes of an animal. This was what we were looking for.
Once we decided (together with the artist) which one of our photos she would use to create the painting, Caroline then asked if we wanted Rocky in a different setting. The photo we chose was very representative of his playful demeanour but the setting was a rather non-discript picture taken in our back yard. After some back and forth, Caroline came up with a Photoshopped image of Rocky standing next to his favourite lake. This was essentially a "sketch" from which she would create the painting.
The next step was to choose the size. The price of a commissioned painting depends almost entirely on size! Caroline's commissions can range anywhere from $1,200 - $5,500, depending on size and framing. It may sound expensive compared to the bargains on the Sponsored page of a Google search, but we're talking about something that will adorn our walls forever, a memory of our beloved pet, and something that deserves on honoured place on our walls along with our personally curated art collection. There are certainly other qualified artists whose work is less expensive (see my list below), but money wasn't the primary issue for us.
As much as we already admired Caroline Zimmermann's artwork, we were absolutely floored by her portrait of Rocky. It was spot on and money well spent (and we can admire the painting everyday without crying!). But the story doesn't end there. In the early stages of commissioning our dog's portrait we had been waffling over which image to choose. The other picture was just a close-up and did not lend itself to the size painting we were looking for, however it was a very special photo because it was taken at the shelter the day we rescued Rocky. The sign on his cage read, "Rocky Needs a Home". So we decided to have Caroline create another paining - a small portrait of Rocky which now hangs in our bedroom!
Now, Caroline's style may not fit your own style or budget. But I can suggest here a great place to start if you want to find an artist that suits your personal taste. It's called the Fine Art Studio Online or FASO. I came across this site while searching for Zimmermann's work - as it turns out she is a FASO artist. They list hundreds of artist websites in their directory, and each website will have plenty of sample images as well as a direct contact to the artist; no gallery or other intermediary to go through. I have no affiliation with FASO whatsoever, other than that I have purchased art from numerous artists on the site.
And of course, if you're looking to commission a painting, you're not limited to a portrait of your pet. On Caroline Zimmermann's site there are countless examples of commissions she has painted, from Tuscan landscapes, to seascapes to a portrait of Salvatore Ferragamo's beloved polo pony! Impressive.
A few other pet portrait artists I discovered in my research you may want to check out:
Meredith Johnson
Laurie Kersey (Specialising in horses)
MarySue Krueger
David Bloom is a writer, blogger, and SEO Consultant with SEO Valley.
The options go on and on. The cost of pet portraits from the "Sponsored" sites on Google (the top row of your search page) range from $9.95 to $169.00. Many of the sites do what you could probably do by yourself with Instagram or by applying filters with Photoshop, (and then sending your images off to be professionally printed). I'm not knocking any of these sites nor have I tested their quality, but reading various reviews (not the on-page testimonials) most people are disappointed with the results. I've also seen some images that friends have had done - some were almost decent and some were downright pitiful. You get what you pay for.
If, however, your tastes run toward fine art and you decorate your home with one-of-a-kind artwork, you may wish to commission a known artist to create an original oil painting of your pet on canvas. But - where to turn? Finding the right artist can be a daunting task.
In some cases grieving pet owners who have recently lost a loved one wish to memorialise their pet with a quality portrait that honours the love they gave and love you returned. This was my case. After our dog Rocky passed away, it was at least a year before we could even look at photos of him, and even longer before we could contemplate getting another dog. When we finally began to go through our photos of Rocky, we decided to research having his portrait painted. We quickly got lost, intimidated and disillusioned.
But then it hit me. We have several original oil paintings by an artist we just adore, Caroline Zimmermann. We had occasion to meet her at one of her gallery shows in Southern California and felt a strong connection. Low and behold, I went to her artist's website and discovered she had not only a page dedicated to animal portraits, and a whole page of samples of her commissioned paintings (landscapes, seascapes, and yes, pet portraits!) but also a downloadable pdf - an 8 page pet portrait brochure! This brochure explains the whole process of commissioning a painting step by step. By the time you read through this you realise how much this artist loves painting animals. We were impressed by her remarkable ability to capture the soulful eyes of an animal. This was what we were looking for.
 |
| "Gus" A dog portrait by Caroline Zimmermann |
The next step was to choose the size. The price of a commissioned painting depends almost entirely on size! Caroline's commissions can range anywhere from $1,200 - $5,500, depending on size and framing. It may sound expensive compared to the bargains on the Sponsored page of a Google search, but we're talking about something that will adorn our walls forever, a memory of our beloved pet, and something that deserves on honoured place on our walls along with our personally curated art collection. There are certainly other qualified artists whose work is less expensive (see my list below), but money wasn't the primary issue for us.
As much as we already admired Caroline Zimmermann's artwork, we were absolutely floored by her portrait of Rocky. It was spot on and money well spent (and we can admire the painting everyday without crying!). But the story doesn't end there. In the early stages of commissioning our dog's portrait we had been waffling over which image to choose. The other picture was just a close-up and did not lend itself to the size painting we were looking for, however it was a very special photo because it was taken at the shelter the day we rescued Rocky. The sign on his cage read, "Rocky Needs a Home". So we decided to have Caroline create another paining - a small portrait of Rocky which now hangs in our bedroom!
 |
| Rocky |
And of course, if you're looking to commission a painting, you're not limited to a portrait of your pet. On Caroline Zimmermann's site there are countless examples of commissions she has painted, from Tuscan landscapes, to seascapes to a portrait of Salvatore Ferragamo's beloved polo pony! Impressive.
A few other pet portrait artists I discovered in my research you may want to check out:
Meredith Johnson
Laurie Kersey (Specialising in horses)
MarySue Krueger
David Bloom is a writer, blogger, and SEO Consultant with SEO Valley.
Comments
Post a Comment