Artists
Related: About this forumDid this pastel painting over the last few days. Trying to learn how to do pet portraits.
People seem to like getting portraits of their pets so it seems like something useful for me to do.
Thank you to anyone who looks, comments. Always grateful for constructive criticism, always hoping to learn and improve,
Thank you ❤️😍☮️
[url=https://postimg.cc/4mdPGhrH][img][/img][/url]
Tomconroy
(7,611 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Docreed2003
(16,866 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)2naSalit
(86,650 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)niyad
(113,413 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Diamond_Dog
(32,015 posts)Your shadows and lighting, superb!
How did you create all the very fine lines such as in her whiskers? Im not very competent in pastel.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)riverbendviewgal
(4,253 posts)You have talent! Keep on what you are doing.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)FalloutShelter
(11,871 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Sanity Claws
(21,849 posts)You are an artist!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)CrispyQ
(36,482 posts)Almost looks like a photograph it's so life like. Excellent work!
Rebl2
(13,528 posts)my attention too. The eyes are amazing! Wonderful pet portrait!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)KarenS
(4,081 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)sinkingfeeling
(51,461 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Tree-Hugger
(3,370 posts)The light on individual hairs....just
Gorgeous kitty portrait - you are very talented.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)ChazInAz
(2,571 posts)Fur is especially difficult to render, but you got it.
Very good, indeed!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)MontanaMama
(23,322 posts)Really wonderful.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)dixiechiken1
(2,113 posts)I can't believe the amount of detail - the reflection of light in the eyes, the fur that looks soft & touchable, and the whiskers. So lifelike! You are truly talented, Liberal.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)woodsprite
(11,916 posts)I have done paintings (watercolor and oil) and pen/ink drawings, etc. but have never ventured into the pastel medium. Did you use oil or chalk pastels?
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Scrivener7
(50,956 posts)for whom this would be a treasured gift.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Scrivener7
(50,956 posts)What a Christmas gift that would be!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Lonestarblue
(10,024 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Danmel
(4,917 posts)Can I commission your work?
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Of messing up and disappointing someone willing to pay me for my art. But I will contact you when I feel more confident! 😍
CaptainTruth
(6,594 posts)All those little hairs, & the detail in the eye is incredible.
It's beautiful!!!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)cate94
(2,812 posts)And a very sensitive portrait.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)panader0
(25,816 posts)What do you charge for such a portrait?
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)mopinko
(70,139 posts)my sister is a photographer, and if i lived closer, we would do pet portraits. me to wrangle, her to shoot. she gets asked often.
i know a couple people who do pet portraits as a side gig, and it helps pay the bills. and it's happy work.
just one critique, tho. the right eye needs some light.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Portraits do sound like they are something people might like, plus wildlife portraits, I might concentrate on that field for awhile. Thank you again! I hope you do get to do portrait photos with your sister some day! 😍😍😍
mopinko
(70,139 posts)and she doesnt do that much photography since i got her elected in '18.
here's another tip- look at it upside down. make sure your eye goes where you want it to go.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)mopinko
(70,139 posts)it's nice to use my crit chops. art school was a long time ago.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)sheshe2
(83,793 posts)You are incredibly talented.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Klondike Kat
(810 posts)Looks similar to our cat Chuck.
I think the tip of the nose is a bit "off". Seems a bit skewed to me. However, I'm not an artist by any stretch of the imagination so you can take that for what it's worth.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)NJCher
(35,688 posts)is amazing.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)PatSeg
(47,517 posts)You really nailed the eyes!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)3Hotdogs
(12,394 posts)I think the nose may be off center. But Im looking on small screen so I wont put money on it.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)HAB911
(8,904 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)3catwoman3
(24,007 posts)...to reach into the painting and stroke the soft-looking fur.
I do agree with the 2 earlier commenters that something is "off" about the nose.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)3catwoman3
(24,007 posts)The only thing I can paint is walls!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)fierywoman
(7,686 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)wendyb-NC
(3,328 posts)Keep doing art! That's a wonderful idea, doing pet portraits, to give to those who love them. I am impressed by your work. Thank you for sharing it.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Auggie
(31,174 posts)First, it's an awesome effort. Congratulations. Your stroke work captures the fur texture magnificently. Great lighting, design and crop!
Had I commissioned this commercially, I'd ask you to push the saturation of colors a little more, particularly the yellow and green areas, and increase the density of the black areas. Also, the gray area in the lower left is a little too light and draws the attention away from that beautiful feline face. I'm not a pastel expert, but I do know they're pretty unforgiving, so I'd urge you to make changes with a light touch.
Also, the cat's left eye doesn't look quite right to me though I imagine it matches your reference material. The nose looks slightly out of perspective too.
This critique comes from evaluating commercial illustration and photography over four decades. It's not the final word or necessarily correct. But it's what I see.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work. You have an incredible talent. Thanks for sharing.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)More than I can say, it is exactly what I need to help me on my artistic journey! Thank you so so much!
I do struggle with drawing, and that is something I MUST learn to get right, there is no painting without a proper drawing. Sometimes I despair at ever getting better at drawing.
Thank you so so much!
❤️❤️❤️
demigoddess
(6,641 posts)photo. Art!!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Sienna86
(2,149 posts)Let us know if you have contact information.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)pandr32
(11,594 posts)Excellent!!!!!!!!!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)pandr32
(11,594 posts)bif
(22,722 posts)I don't think you have a lot more to learn. You've pretty much mastered it!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Saoirse9
(3,680 posts)I hope you will post a link to order one. I would love to have one of both my dogs.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Ocelot II
(115,752 posts)Pastels are so tricky - all I can do with them is make a smeary mess - and you've done a great job here!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Pepsidog
(6,254 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Traildogbob
(8,761 posts)Just wow. You have a gift. The eye, magical. If that kind of talent was near me, Id pay for my two labs and my daughters 2 dogs and two cats. I would first hire the painter to do the pitty she lost a year ago. Her first and the one that helped her deal with her mom losing cancer battle. That dog gave her love and strength. You can help a lot of people with your gift. Thank you for sharing. Please share more.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Trueblue1968
(17,229 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)samplegirl
(11,480 posts)You can do my cat!
Great Job!!!!!!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)lunatica
(53,410 posts)Its a very successful portrait! I love the reflections in the cats eye. Ive gazed into my cats eyes like that and seen many incredible thing. I think youve captured the cats eyes beautifully and completely. All of it is outstanding! The soft fur and the whiskers and the pink nose make me want to pick the cat up and snuggle! My cat is a tabby just like that one and for a split second I thought your drawing was of him! Its truly lovely to get pulled in like that because it filled me with all the emotions I feel for my cat as soon as I set eyes on it.
This portrait is quite successful. Its perfect in every way. I dont see a thing that could be improved!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)And just knowing a real artists sees value in my work, encourages me to keep painting. You are my sunshine! I wish we lived closer so I could take you to lunch or dinner or something nice! 😍😍😍
japple
(9,833 posts)Thank you for sharing this piece.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Riverman100
(275 posts)Just wow
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Richard D
(8,755 posts)Joinfortmill
(14,436 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Escurumbele
(3,396 posts)The nose needs to have the same angle as the rest of the face. See how the nose ends too soon, needs to continue a bit to the left to match the angle. I am talking about the tip of the nose, the pink part.
Everything else is fantastic, real command of pastel, which I have always found to be difficult, reason why I stay with oil. I admire people who do your kind of work on pastel and water colors...
You nailed it, even though it is almost a profile, the expression of the eyes is magnificent.
Good job, you are an excellent artist.
Sucha NastyWoman
(2,749 posts)Really gorgeous.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Dem_in_Nebr.
(301 posts)How did you get a cat to sit still for that long?
Gorgeous painting though!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)suncat
(41 posts)to concentrate on your beloved cat for hours! He looks like a great companion. You have got your technique for imaging fur close to, if not perfect!
I just picked up some pastels (not cheap) but I haven't begun yet. I am a little hesitant to begin...
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)They are the most fun medium ever, you will be hooked!
Thank you so much! 😍 not my kitty, just from a photo.
Oh I cant wait to see your pastel paintings in this group, I hope you will share them!😍
karin_sj
(810 posts)So beautiful! I love it!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)femmedem
(8,203 posts)Along with the wonderful technique, you've composed it beautifully. It's rare to see a pet portrait cropped like this and it creates a lovely sense of intimacy.
The tiniest suggestion, which a couple of other people have mentioned: the centerline along the pink of the nose lines up with the centerline of the mouth, as it should. But see how to the right of the centerline on the mouth there is only a tiny bit of mouth showing? But to the right of the centerline on the nose there's still a fairly substantial amount of pink nose. So it looks as if the nose is facing us a bit more than the rest of the cat is. But this is a tiny detail, one that I didn't notice right away. It's a gorgeous portrait and one you should feel very proud of. I think that you'll have plenty of business if you want to start doing this professionally.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Wonky now!
Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement and help! 😍
femmedem
(8,203 posts)The correction looks good, and I love the new portrait as well.
And it's easier to critique than to draw: I couldn't have drawn either one of those portraits.
Demovictory9
(32,457 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Trueblue Texan
(2,430 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)TigressDem
(5,125 posts)Just for fun... saw this today and think you are in good company with subject matter.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boredpanda.com%2Fcat-bushes-thetopiarycat%2F&psig=AOvVaw3CvMBpeH1NB3LiZVHYtJqe&ust=1653010865131000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCJjGu7236vcCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
CrispyQ
(36,482 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,981 posts)LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,981 posts)pansypoo53219
(20,981 posts)BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)I like dry brush. Did you do that for the fine hair/whiskers?
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)I know. But pastel sticks and pastel pencils. 😍
SleeplessinSoCal
(9,123 posts)As if different mediums. Yet look so real.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(9,123 posts)Thanks for sharing.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)majdrfrtim
(318 posts)Thank you for sharing you prodigious talent with us mere mortals!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)KT2000
(20,584 posts)so beautifully. Love it!
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Desert_Leslie
(131 posts)Simply beautiful ... love the interplay of lights and darks. Lost my beloved 9yo cat Cutie two days ago to aggressive large cell lymphoma.
LiberalLoner
(9,762 posts)Thank you for your kind comments even in the midst of your suffering. You are a very good person. 😍😍😍