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
(11,218 posts)Docreed2003
(18,234 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)2naSalit
(96,960 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)niyad
(124,003 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Diamond_Dog
(37,178 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
(11,218 posts)riverbendviewgal
(4,356 posts)You have talent! Keep on what you are doing.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)FalloutShelter
(13,384 posts)
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Sanity Claws
(22,195 posts)You are an artist!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)CrispyQ
(39,718 posts)Almost looks like a photograph it's so life like. Excellent work!
Rebl2
(16,439 posts)my attention too. The eyes are amazing! Wonderful pet portrait!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)KarenS
(4,978 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)sinkingfeeling
(55,287 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Tree-Hugger
(3,379 posts)The light on individual hairs....just
Gorgeous kitty portrait - you are very talented.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)ChazInAz
(2,917 posts)Fur is especially difficult to render, but you got it.
Very good, indeed!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)MontanaMama
(24,418 posts)Really wonderful.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 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
(11,218 posts)woodsprite
(12,438 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
(11,218 posts)Scrivener7
(55,845 posts)for whom this would be a treasured gift.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Scrivener7
(55,845 posts)
What a Christmas gift that would be!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Lonestarblue
(12,633 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Danmel
(5,447 posts)Can I commission your work?
LiberalLoner
(11,218 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
(7,678 posts)All those little hairs, & the detail in the eye is incredible.
It's beautiful!!!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)cate94
(2,970 posts)And a very sensitive portrait.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)panader0
(25,816 posts)What do you charge for such a portrait?
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)mopinko
(72,615 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
(11,218 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
(72,615 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
(11,218 posts)mopinko
(72,615 posts)it's nice to use my crit chops. art school was a long time ago.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)sheshe2
(92,211 posts)You are incredibly talented.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Klondike Kat
(882 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
(11,218 posts)NJCher
(40,242 posts)is amazing.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)PatSeg
(50,272 posts)You really nailed the eyes!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)3Hotdogs
(14,220 posts)I think the nose may be off center. But Im looking on small screen so I wont put money on it.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)HAB911
(9,692 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)3catwoman3
(26,767 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
(11,218 posts)3catwoman3
(26,767 posts)The only thing I can paint is walls!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)fierywoman
(8,334 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)wendyb-NC
(4,284 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
(11,218 posts)Auggie
(32,314 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
(11,218 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
(6,675 posts)photo. Art!!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)secondwind
(16,903 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Sienna86
(2,152 posts)Let us know if you have contact information.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)pandr32
(13,036 posts)Excellent!!!!!!!!!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)pandr32
(13,036 posts)
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)bif
(25,599 posts)I don't think you have a lot more to learn. You've pretty much mastered it!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Saoirse9
(3,871 posts)I hope you will post a link to order one. I would love to have one of both my dogs.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Ocelot II
(124,999 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
(11,218 posts)Pepsidog
(6,340 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Traildogbob
(11,253 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
(11,218 posts)Trueblue1968
(18,557 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)samplegirl
(13,040 posts)You can do my cat!
Great Job!!!!!!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 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
(11,218 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
(10,459 posts)Thank you for sharing this piece.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Riverman100
(283 posts)Just wow
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Richard D
(9,867 posts)Joinfortmill
(18,140 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Escurumbele
(3,811 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
(3,009 posts)Really gorgeous.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Dem_in_Nebr.
(319 posts)How did you get a cat to sit still for that long?
Gorgeous painting though!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 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
(11,218 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
(1,216 posts)So beautiful! I love it!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)femmedem
(8,508 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
(11,218 posts)Wonky now!
Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement and help! 😍
femmedem
(8,508 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
(36,002 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)Trueblue Texan
(3,365 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)TigressDem
(5,126 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
(39,718 posts)

LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)pansypoo53219
(22,273 posts)LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)pansypoo53219
(22,273 posts)pansypoo53219
(22,273 posts)BigmanPigman
(53,078 posts)I like dry brush. Did you do that for the fine hair/whiskers?
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)I know. But pastel sticks and pastel pencils. 😍
SleeplessinSoCal
(10,090 posts)As if different mediums. Yet look so real.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)SleeplessinSoCal
(10,090 posts)Thanks for sharing.
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)majdrfrtim
(340 posts)Thank you for sharing you prodigious talent with us mere mortals!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 posts)KT2000
(21,465 posts)so beautifully. Love it!
LiberalLoner
(11,218 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
(11,218 posts)Thank you for your kind comments even in the midst of your suffering. You are a very good person. 😍😍😍