The Process of Watercolor Pet Portaits

This year I started painting the pets of friends/family in watercolor. I have begun to take on a few clients and wanted to share how the process goes. In another post, I will be sharing how you can choose the best photos if you too would like me to create your own watercolor painting of your lovely fur baby.

Hank the Yarn Dog - Mascot of Rebel Woolworks

I begin with a reference photo and it guides the entire painting. Let me introduce you to Hank the Yarn Dog. He spends his day with the lovely Tara in their yarn shop called Rebel Woolworks.

Using the reference photo I use an app on my iPad and litterally trace out the important areas that will guide me with color placement, shading, and all the things I need to paint a realistic picture.

I change very little. As I didn’t want to paint the his collar, I looked at several photos from Tara’s posits on various social media platforms to determine the top of his white chest mark. It would take me many more hours to freehand draw the images - I trace them, then paint them.

The tracing is printed on tracing paper and as transfer the marks I feel I will need to help me recreate the painting.

Slowly, Hank comes to life in watercolor. During the process, I share photos with the recipient, and may ask for clarrificaiton from the pet owner. It was hard to determine the color of Hank's eyes from his refernce photo. Tara was able to send me a clear photo of on of his beautiful eyes.

When the painting is ready to ship, using an 8x10 mat and frame, I take one last photo of the work.

My paintings are placed in a plastic cellophane sleeve. The sleeve is then placed in a cardboard mailer with a cardboard sheet for more durability. Paintings are mailed First Class with USPS and insured. In the event your package arrives bent, do not open the package at home. Take pictures of the package and forward the photos to me. Then take the package to your US Post Office and open the package there. If the painting is bent, I am sure I will need to file a claim. My packages have all arrived safely to their new homes.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the process of my paintings.

Check out Tara's online shop at https://www.rebelwoolworks.com/ find her on Instagram @rebelwoolworks and Hank at @hanktheyarndog