Photo Guidelines and Tips for an Amazing Pet Portrait!

I draw very detailed pet portraits in Prismacolor © pencil. The accuracy of the portrait is directly affected by the quality and clarity of the photo.

I prefer that you send (e-mail, or by regular mail on diskette or CD) a photo or photos (.jpg files if possible) in 150 to 300 dpi resolution, the higher the better. A minimum size of 3"x 5" is best, but if you have a smaller photo in high resolution that will probably work, too. Of course, you can always mail me your photo prints. I just ask that you not send your only copies. While I will take great care to return your photos in their original condition with the finished portrait, I would hate to risk something happening to your only original, in the mail or otherwise. Please only send a duplicate print unless you are able to reproduce the original from a negative.

The best photos for a pet portrait are those taken outside in natural light, although preferably not direct bright sunlight. This allows for most accurate hair and eye colors, soft shadows, detail, etc. If you must send a photo taken indoors, please make sure it represents your pet's true colors. If the portrait with your favorite pose doesn't show realistic hair and eye color, please send an additional photo which does.

Try to take the photo at your pet's eye level. Photos taken from above, looking down at the pet, usually don't make great portraits. Of course, don't forget to make sure your pet is in focus.

It's best if your pet's face takes up most of the photo area, but don't get so close that the image is blurry. This helps ensure that I will be able to see important details such as direction of hair growth and other subtle points not easily visible when the pet is in the distance and/or not the primary subject of the photo.

If you would like a memorial portrait of a pet who has passed away and therefore aren't able to follow the suggestions above, I will certainly do my best with whatever photos you have available.

I look forward to drawing your pet's portrait soon!