Furbabies by Sue

All portraits are based on the snapshots I am provided, the final product you want (I have to know the size before I start, to get the composition correct) and any ideas you may have about the portrait. I review your photos first, to ensure that they can be used. Only very rarely is a photo or snapshot so "bad" I can't use it, and that is only because there is just not enough to be recognizable! I have restored many old photos, and I have even made a portrait out of several different pictures (a "composite.") If the photo is from an original and can't be e-mailed to me, you can snail-mail it to me and I will scan it in for you without charge, return the original, and send you the e-copy. I do this even if you decide you don't want a portrait after all. (When this happens, it's usually an old picture of a furbaby gone over the Rainbow Bridge, and I really understand how important those memories are, having lost a love of my own.

Because of the time involved, I require up-front payment for a portrait. Then the first thing I do is develop a "concept sketch." I work this stage until it is acceptable to you; this can take a few tries. Then I expand the background and begin detailing. I generally send another sketch before this is finalized, to ensure I am still on the right track. Finally, I do the portrait in final and submit it to you for a final review. I make any last adjustments you may request. Then the portrait is published and shipped to you.

I'm going to use as an example a 24 x 36 canvas portrait that I did this past year. Harley, a beautiful and much beloved Golden Retriever, had gone to the Bridge. Of course his family was devastated. His owner's mother wanted a portrait for her daughter to remember him by, but not a "Rainbow Bridge" picture...too sad, she said. But she wanted to show him going away, and honor him in all his glory, and include his favorite toy. And she wanted a scene of comfort and beauty.

Here are the snapshots she provided to me:

The snapshots were very good in quality. So I began with the concept of how he could be "going away." I thought if I could get that settled, the rest would follow. (And it did.) Here's the concept sketch:

She loved the concept. Her daughter loved roses, she said. Picket fence and roses, that is perfect. So I had my building block. Now, I had to start working with the background, in the format for the final size. Here are my next sketches.

As you can see, there is now a sign using one photo and giving the furbaby's name. That went through a couple of changes until it was just right. Then we finally added the full body picture of beautiful CAMEO ELECTRAGLIDE IN GOLD -- call name "Harley."

(Nope, it's not done yet. The area in front of the fence and the foreground is just sketched in.)

The final thing added was the frisbee....Harley's favorite toy. And here he is, beauty itself.