Cat Portrait of Shadow
Every Painting starts with a photo reference
Today I am working on another cat portrait for a previous client. This is shadow, who no longer purrs in this world, but is happily chasing clouds in cat heaven. I wanted to share how I paint with you and will be posting updates throughout the day. This is a digital portrait, meaning that instead of a regular brush and canvas I am using a stylus and a tablet.
If you look at Shadow's photo you will notice how it's sort of flat looking. That's because photos tend to mass like values such as black together, especially when the photo reference is not in high resolution.
I begin each portrait by consulting with my client as to what size they prefer for the finished painting and how much of the figure they want to have shown. I painted another cat portrait - Jasper for the same family and my client wanted face only paintings to start with. Below you will see how I built up the figure one brush stroke at a time. My color choices are based on what I think will work best to give the animal the most expressive look.
I will be adding more work in progress shots throughout the day, so you can follow how the painting of Shadow comes along.
If you like to learn more about ordering a custom pet or person portraits click here. Well, I have to get back to painting ....
