The portrait can show a habit or natural pose of the pet.
A pet portrait serves to express fond memories of the artist's furry friend, and can make a great gift for friends and family members. The versatility of acrylic paint allows an artist to experiment with a variety of techniques and styles. Paintings can range from realistic fine art to cartoons or comical pictures. Painters can choose to mimic the style of a particular artist or develop their own style.
Acrylic Paint Tips
Artists can vary the appearance of an acrylic painting by their choice of paint consistency. Deciding on what they desire for the painting beforehand will determine the how much water to add to the acrylic paint, ranging from a thick paste, almost like an oil paint, to a much thinner wash, closer to the look of watercolor. Due to the fast drying time of acrylic paint, artists should remove only a small amount of paint from the tube at a time. The fast drying nature also makes blending difficult, requiring artists to dampen the paper to achieve this effect.
Acrylic Paint Techniques
Applying glaze, after the paint on the paper has dried, creates darker colors than is possible by mixing paint in the palette. Artists can still paint over this glaze, provided they wait until it has dried. To add a look of depth to a painting, artists can utilize the technique of scumbling. The artist adds a very thin coat of opaque paint, allowing the color beneath to remain visible. When using thick paint, artists can apply many layers of acrylic to create texture in the painting.
Pet Portrait Tips
Artists require a good photo of the pet in a pose they wish to copy, ideally that shows the pet in a natural position. Taking more than one photo may prove helpful; for example, close-up shots to assist in painting detail. Artists should take all the photos without flash to avoid dulling of colors. Other factors to take into account include the background for the portrait and whether the painting shows any particular traits of the pet.
Pet Portrait Techniques
Paintings in a fine art style show the pet naturally and have accurate colors and details. However, the artist may choose to paint the portrait in another style, such as colorful pop art or as a cartoon. The artist should take into consideration her own abilities and what she is comfortable painting to achieve the best result. Other options include using the influences of a favorite artist.
