Would you like to see what kept me busy, and CHALLENGED in the run up to Christmas?
The Commission
I received a commission for pet portraits that were intended for Christmas gifts. What made this commission different? The client wanted three copies of the same portrait, but no prints. All three had to be original paintings. One painting would stay with the client, and the other two would be gifts for her Son, and Daughter, who owned the GrandDogs.
Everyone, meet Korra, and Dude. Aren't they an adorable pair?
I'd never worked on a project like this before! I've painted a series of related paintings in the past, but they were all different subjects. I had also worked on a three panel painting of a Great Blue Heron once, but he just never panned out. This portrait project was going to be all new territory for me! Luckily, the client had commissioned the paintings very early, so I had plenty of time to figure out the process.
The Very First Challenge
The first challenge was how to use separate images of two dogs to create one portrait. I had to consider how the two dogs' sizes would compare to one another. With no picture of the two of them together, aside from when one was a tiny puppy, I had to do a little estimating.
My time as a pet sitter turned out to be a surprise benefit. It had given me experience with lots of different breeds of dogs. From that experience, I was able to estimate that the Bulldog in the portrait would be at least a head shorter than the Australian Shepherd when they were both sitting, but his head would be just shy of double in width.
I worked up a preliminary sketch, and sent it off to the client to see if I got my proportions right. We also discussed the background, and whether or not to include a color, or pattern. Together, we decided that a white background would be safest, so that it wouldn't clash with the decor of either recipient, and it would also help to make the two dogs really stand out.
Off to the Races
Whew! I'd gotten it right! The client confirmed the proportions in the sketch, and it was time to get down to painting. Now What?! How do you approach working on a project like this? Do you work on the paintings one at a time, or work on them all at the same time? That was a puzzle I was going to have to give some thought.
I could see that working on them one at a time could easily lead to lost discoveries. If I noted a specific color, or shadow in working on the first painting, how would I remember that special touch when it came time to work on the third painting?
Another thing to consider would be my own motivation. I worried that, if I painted the portraits one at a time, that satisfying sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a painting could drain my motivation to keep working on the other two.
Since working on the paintings one at a time was not sounding like a good option for me, I decided that all three must be in progress at the same time. But, how does that process go? Thankfully, it fell into place pretty easily that I would have one painting deemed the Lead painting. It would be the one "leading the charge" with each new layer. The other two, dubbed Copy 1, and Copy 2, would be staggered at least a half step behind the Lead. That way, I could easily remember what I'd done on the Lead when it was time to work on the copies. It would also help avoid a situation where I'd made the same mistake on all three portraits (because mistakes can ALWAYS happen.)
In the picture below, I've just started the second layer on Korra in the Lead painting, which is the furthest to the right. Copy 1, and Copy 2 are to the left.
Speaking of Mistakes
Remember where I said that mistakes can ALWAYS happen? Boy can they! One of my weaknesses in the painting process has been that I can't talk, or engage the language portion of my brain while trying to paint. I had gotten out of practice after art school, and no longer having regular studio class sessions.
I'd been working on it though, for quite some time, by listening to a familiar audiobook series while painting. It was helpful to have a story that I'd heard a few times before so that I could let my attention to the story lapse, and just have language carrying on in the background. I was getting better at staying in the creative zone while hearing someone speak.
One day, I got a little too overconfident in my progress. I continued to paint while having a conversation with my husband. In one broad stroke, I took the yellow ochre mix right into the area of the white marking on Dude, the Bulldog's chest!
I don't have a closeup photo of the mistake when it happened. I was too much in a panic, focused on washing out the mistake quickly before the pigment set in. You can just make it out in the group photo below. If you look at the chest area in the middle painting, you can see the slight shadow of the yellow ochre that remained after I cleaned up as much as possible.
The Supervisor is Displeased
The deadline to get the paintings finished, then shipped in time for Christmas got closer, and the paintings got more interesting to work on as it came time for more, and more details to be added. As my focus on the project increased, JayCat, the Studio Supervisor, was displeased with the sudden reduction of cat-petting breaks. He made his displeasure known as best he could.
His most effective approach was to jump directly onto my work table, and make this frowny little face...
Always return to the photos.
I quickly learned not to use the Lead painting as the only reference for the two staggered paintings. What was that line from the movie, Multiplicity? " You know, when you make a copy of a copy, it's not as sharp as the original."
It may not be as essential in painting as it is in cloning, but details can definitely get lost. So, I had to be especially mindful to always return to the photos. Sometimes, though, that could make for a slightly crowded workspace!
Keeping Myself Motivated
Unfortunately, anxiety, and self doubt are regular contributors to my art process. It's very easy for me to allow my internal critic's voice to overwhelm me, and talk me into stalling, or even abandoning a project altogether. This long haul project was certainly no exception, but abandoning a project commissioned by a client was absolutely not an option.
I had never worked on any single project for a few months at a time either. The longest I'd ever had to focus on a project was a little over a month. How would I keep myself motivated?
I took the "eat your vegetables first" approach. Now, I love vegetables, so the term is a slight misnomer for me, but you get the point. Dude was fun to paint because he was a bit of a challenge, but for whatever reason, what my hands were REALLY itching to paint was all of that fun hair on Korra! The rule became that I couldn't paint the really tempting stuff, the final layers on Korra, until Dude was finished.
Even in paint form, Dude maintained the signature English Bulldog stubborn tendencies, and wouldn't let me bring his likeness to fruition too easily. He made me work for it, and that work taught me some valuable approaches, and reinforced the lesson to stick with the tough projects.
It can be difficult to paint such a smooth coated dog with lots of folds, and not have it come out looking like a solid object instead of a dog.
Here's a look at some of the fun little details that went into painting Dude. The little pores on his snout, the white fuzz on his lips, and the little cleft of his chinny chin chin, all made me just want to squish that cute face!
Plenty of Support for the Final Push
Dude was finished, the shipping deadline was approaching, and it was time to start the final details on Korra. I was nearing the end of the marathon, and my focus was taxed, but I had plenty of support for the final push. My Husband, Eric was always there to tell me that, despite my ever present self doubt, I really could do this. And, of course, I had my furry little cheerleader always over my shoulder.
Korra's Finish
The final layers of Korra's portrait went even more quickly than I had anticipated. The little shadows created by sections of her hair broke up the larger areas of her body, and made it easy to create both an accurate, and visually interesting portrait. Even the tiny white hairs that overlapped her black markings, which could have gotten tedious, went fast. Korra seemed eager to get the flock into the pen, and the gate locked behind them!
My very favorite part of her portrait was that dear little lower lip!
The Completed Paintings
At last, the paintings were completed! The final images that I had sent to the client were approved, and it was time to sign them!
Lead Painting
Copy 1
Copy 2
Happy Faces
The paintings were carefully prepared for their journey. They were each enclosed in their own plastic sleeves to protect the delicate painted surface from any dampness. Then, all three were lashed to a piece of heavy cardboard that was cut to be almost the size of the bottom of the box in which they'd be travelling. This would keep them from banging into the sides of the box, and potentially damaging the corners of the paper.
The bundle was then wrapped in yet another layer of plastic for a little extra protection because there was potential for rain along their expected route.
Their trip was thankfully short, but I still checked their tracking status several times a day. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when "Delivered" popped up in that little screen. Now, the REAL tension began!
The client couldn't open the package yet. Her Daughter was visiting, and she couldn't risk ruining the surprise. I was so anxious for the big reveal! Photographs can only convey so much, there's always much, much more to see when viewing a painting in person.
After what felt like a day, but was really little more than an hour, I got the message that I'd been waiting for. The package was opened, and the client was thrilled. I did a modest little happy dance while flat on my back. Not even a migraine can hold back that much happiness!
After the family had their Christmas celebration, I received a gift of my own. The client sent a short video of her Son, and Daughter's reactions as they opened their portraits. It was fantastic to be able to experience that little moment, and see the happiness spread across their faces.
Creating pet portraits professionally has many benefits, but spreading that happiness is quite possibly the very best of them all.
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