Pet portrait canvases are a perfect way to honor your beloved pets, whether they’re dogs, cats, horses, birds, snakes or bunnies. Using one or more of your favorite photos, artists can paint and even embroider these masterpieces to be treasured forever.
How do you make a pet portrait from a picture?
When painting a pet, it’s best to start with the general outline of your pet on the paper you are using for reference. Carefully mapping out the proportions and adjusting them as needed is key to creating a realistic pet portrait. Once you’ve mapped out the proportions, use a pencil to draw the basic sketch on your canvas.
After drawing the general outline, you’ll want to fill in the major shapes with your background color. This is the foundation of your pet’s portrait and will help to establish the color for furs and other features. Using a medium brush, you’ll be able to create more detailed areas like strands of fur or larger skin creases.
Another important part of the background is to make sure it provides good contrast against the color of your pet. For example, a black dog might look better on a dark green or red background, while a white dog may not have the same impact on a yellow backdrop.
Once the background is finished, it’s time to start working on your pet portrait! This will be done in layers, so it’s essential to practice your color mixing on other pieces of paper before you begin. This will allow you to get a feel for how different colors will mix and react on various kinds of papers or on the canvas material you’ll be using in your portrait.