Introduction to a Multiple Pet Portrait

My Take on a Portrait with More Than One Subject

In my previous post, I talked about portraits and how I LOVE them.

From Wikipedia: A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant.

Couldn't this apply to any subject? I'm going to say "Of course!"

The purpose changes a little when doing portraits with multiple animals or people. The face and expression  of ONE is no longer predominant when adding more than one subject. But, that's not to say it won't be successful. Given the right references, it can be an awesome painting!  

Let's say you've decided to commission an artist to do a portrait with two or more pets in it instead of multiple individual portraits.  First realize it won't have the same impact as it would with one pet.

Wooly Malamute | pastel | 16x20

Having more than one dog/pet in a painting gives the feeling of a pack, the camaraderie/social aspect of them together. A dog and cat (or two separate species) could play off how well they get along, or how NOT well they get along (so many images flashing in my head of FUN portraits!)

The detail will be there, but may not have the same impact as having one pet to concentrate on. The concentration will be of the togetherness, not their individuality. Both are great options and both can be beautiful.

Combining Reference Photographs...Consistency is Key!

There are other considerations to a multiple pet portrait if you don't have photos with them together. In addition to the recommendations for an individual portrait, keep these in mind:

• Lighting
• Should be consistent if there are highlights and shadows (and there should be for a good portrait)
• Type of lighting (all indoor light or all outdoor)
• Best to take all photos on the same day and in the same location for the best outcome for consistency 

Yorkshire Terrier "Chloe" in natural light

Yorkshire Terrier "Chloe" in indoor light

• Direction 
• From the photos you have, are they facing the same way?
• If not, would it look natural for pets to be looking at different spots in a painting? 
• Answer: Probably not. Chances are, your pet was looking at you, a bird, or a treat. I doubt that if you had all your pets in the same spot, they would choose different subjects. Think of holiday pictures you've taken or have been in with a group of people. Do you consider it a success if you have people looking in all directions, or when they're looking in the same direction?

Boxer"Lily"

Mixed Breed "Hercules"

• Angle
• Your relation to the pet when you're taking the picture. Are you above them? At eye level? It doesn't really matter, although I've found that at eye level is best, but you want to make it consistent. If you're at eye level with one pet, make sure you're not at a completely different angle with the other pet.

German Shepherd "Nicholl"

Alaskan Malamute "Dash"

• Proximity
• Optional, but it will make the artist's job a little easier there. If you zoom in on one pet, and don't on the other, you may not have a realistic size relation in your portrait. If an artist isn't familiar with a particular breed, they won't know how one pet compares to the other if they don't have photos of them together to judge. 

It all comes down to one word - CONSISTENCY.

In the End, It's Your Call

It really is an individual decision. What feeling do you want to convey? If you want to be able to look at EACH of your pets as individuals, I would encourage separate portraits (like the example above). If you want to go with the "pack", then I would recommend the group portrait. Just keep in mind there is more work on both parties to ensure consistency.

Portraits are commissions, after all. Artists who take on commissions, want to please the customer. So if you only have a limited amount of photos and the pet is no longer around (RIP), that's OK. We work around what's available and if we can get it, GREAT, but if not, at least we know what we have to work with.


However, the better the photo, the better the outcome...
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I'll leave you with one of the sketches I've done for a pet portrait I'm working on right now...(one of the earlier FAILED compositions. Can you name the issue I have here?).

Sketch of pet portrait (Alaskan Malamute, Samoyed, Siberian Husky)

What is the Definition of a Portrait?

Flower Portraits? Why Yes, I Do That Too...

If you're familiar with my work, you would know that I like to paint and draw animals, people, flowers...so as I was writing this post about portraits and what I like to focus on, I realized that what I'm really painting is portraits. Portraits of people, animals and flowers.

In my bio/statement/about me sections that all artists should have, I say the same things...that I'm drawn (hahaha) to the details of a subject. It makes sense when I put my portraits together...

Portrait of Alex | charcoal | 16x20

Bovine Curiosity | charcoal | 18x24

Himalayan | pastel | 16x20

Even when you look at the flowers I have done, you see the same thing...close enough to see some detail, but not too close that it becomes abstract.


 

Violet | colored pencil | 8x10

Antique Rose | colored pencil | 8x10

Carnation | colored pencil | 8x10

Reference Photos

Here are some of my photographs that will someday be "portraits"...not all of them are great photos, some are blurry, but I'm not a photographer. I just play one for reference photos.

Dairy Cow in Chapel Hill NC

You would never know it, but this is a Belted Galloway at Fearringon Village, near Chapel Hill NC

Some cats have it made...this one hangs out at the Westin, St John, USVI

Baby monkey at the NC Zoo in Ashboro NC

Our cat, "Chopper"

The walkway the zoo has now is amazing! You can feed the giraffes and be eye to eye with them!

Flower (petunia or pansy? I always get them mixed up)

OK, I'm pretty sure this is an orchid. I've been known to take photos at random places.

So, there it is. I have a problem. As much as I LOVE landscapes and trees and all that purdy stuff, I think I just get on autopilot when I see something I like.

Regrets? Yes and No

Whenever anyone I work with learn I have an art degree, I get the eyebrow raise. My job is in clinical research and really has no place for art. Do I have regrets? Maybe, but not for the reasons you may think.

I will always be thankful for getting an art degree. Even though the "art" doesn't help me with my current profession, I'm thankful for two reasons:

I Learned How to See

An EARLY sketch of boxes, plates, cups

As much as I hated drawing box after box, or the constant measuring - once I got it - not "oh, this is how I do it", but "oh, this is WHY I am doing it", it made perfect sense! It's something I wish I did in high school or even earlier than that. As simple as drawing boxes made me see the angles and measuring made me see something as simple as eye placement on a face. I was able to see objects as they truly are and not see them as I think they are. I was and continue to be thankful.

A later sketch of fabric draped on a cylinder

I Learned How to Think

Yes...to think about society as it relates to history, as it relates to the world, throughout history. I was a sponge when it came to learning about cultures and historical facts. I fell in love with ancient history - Greek, Roman, Ancient Sumerian, Japanese, Chinese, etc... not ancient, but still fascinating was the Moghul Empire.

I also took classes on the history of religion, where I learned aboutAncient Sumerian culture and then later took several classes on Christianity through the ages. It was an eye opening experience to say the least.

One of my favorite classes (looking back of course), was a course on Abstract Expressionists. This was the perfect combination of my interests. It wasn't just about art, but also about the historical, political, and cultural events that surrounded the movement. It was a great class that I remember 15 years later. And I still have the books.

Helen Frankenthaler: Mountains and Sea (1952)

The classes I took weren't really taking me anywhere successful career-wise. I wasn't taking law classes, or statistical classes or even design classes for a lucrative profession. I wasn't interested in those careers. I wasn't interested in a career at all. Maybe I needed a little more guidance in that since there was a moment after graduating where I thought, "Oh. What now?"

(source)

Looking Back...

I would do the same thing, take the same classes, but would add to them. Take more liberal arts classes (yes, more!)...but it would have helped to have taken more practical classes on being an artist, like framing, printing business cards, brochures, etc. and a stress of KNOWING YOURSELF ENOUGH TO EXPRESS YOURSELF - being more comfortable in the world AFTER the degree may have steered me to this earlier on. But maybe...I just needed to learn this in my own time as a "student of life". ;)