The main reason to have a portrait of your dog is to show your love and pay tribute to your furry buddy. Dogs always hold a special place in the life of dog owners especially when they are no longer with them. Having a pet portrait is the best way to keep the memories of your pet alive. In this article, we have discussed 4 main reasons why a dog owner should have a portrait of his dog!
Immortalizing or Memorializing Your Dog
The most obvious reason for a painting is celebrating and commemorating your pet. You would like to be regularly reminded of your canine friend, especially when they are no longer with you. You will have something to look at because they still hold a special place in your life.
In the old days, portrait paintings denoted fame and the afterlife. It was common for the rich in the society to commission paintings of themselves. They sometimes had paintings of themselves with their pets, which helped them capture their essence even when they were gone.
This is why even today pet owners do the same even though there are selfies and digital photography. Artists who have specialized in pet portraiture have found it to be very lucrative. Pet portraits are seen as being more valuable than digital photographs because paintings last a lifetime while photos are “instant”.
Capturing Your Dog’s Personality
It is hard to make a dog sit for portrait sessions, which is why most artists will have to rely on photographs. The dogs are captured in their natural environment.
The paintings can turn out to be fun, informal, and contemporary, but it is going to mainly depend on the artist you have hired to do the work. There are times when artists add elements based on what they have interpreted and seen from the dog’s personality. This is the element that makes portraits way more valuable.
When painting a pet portrait, the artist is going to take their time to sketch the image and apply the brush strokes. While it is possible to manipulate digital photos to look like paintings, the process and detail that goes into the handmade portrait are what people pay for when commissioning their work.
Having a Point Of Interest in Your House
There have been studies focusing on the most famous paintings in the world. The studies have focused on getting insights into the psychology and personality of the subject and artist. Such works have generated a lot of public interest. There is a famous dog painting that has been the subject of discussion and debate from the “Dogs Playing Poker” series by Marcellus Coolidge. Many working-class families in America had pieces from Coolidge on display in the ‘60s and ‘70s because people related to the photos and liked them.
While your dog’s painting might not have the same level of interest as Coolidge’s photos, it would draw a lot of curiosity and attention because your family and friends are going to marvel at your dog’s portrait when they visit your home. Your guests are going to spend a couple of seconds or even minutes looking at and talking about the portrait. It is going to be an interesting topic to talk about, especially when they are complimenting the photo.
Telling a Story
Portraits are great for memorializing the subject and also telling a story. If you choose a good artist to do the portrait, you can expect to get a good story from the image. A good artist can easily manage to make the subject larger than life. You can make things easier for the artist by giving them specific themed photos of your dog so that they can have a better understanding of the dog including their personality. A good photo can be one where the dog is with its favorite toys, crate, or positioned in its favorite sleeping spot. All of this is going to enhance the theme of the portrait.
For the artist, a pet portrait with a story is going to involve finding the right textures, shapes, color, composition, and angles. It also involves positioning the subject as either integrated or isolated with the background. This makes the location an important part of the creative process.
Artists are going to take time when creating a masterpiece. If you want to get a great portrait, then you need to anticipate it taking longer than you expected and even costing more compared to digital photography. It is going to be worth it.
