“It has to look EXACTLY like him,” she insisted.
“Got it,” I replied.
“I mean, EXACTLY,” she reiterated.
Yeah, I got it. I really do. Whenever I do a pet portrait, I understand the importance of capturing their loved one. This isn’t just their PET… this is their child, their companion, the center of their world.
One eye off, one tilt off kilter and it’s no longer their “baby.”
That’s why I always take extra time and pour in extra love when I make those portraits.
For everything else, I use reference photos. Ones I pay for and not just grab from Google (photographers gotta eat too, y’know). But they’re just for REFERENCE… how does the hair flow? Where is the eye supposed to be? But it doesn’t look EXACTLY like the photo.
It’s not just “artistic license. It’s literally because I put a little bit of “me” into each one.
At first, I didn’t realize I was doing it. The animals just sort of looked familiar. Then I started to embrace it and just let “me” come through.
That lion has my eyes.
Those raccoons are me and my brother in the backyard.
That surprised face is my mom seeing her engagement ring for the first time.
So now that I’m preparing for the London show, I’m back at it again… only with a little twist. They asked me to create a collection of Lionesses to fit into their theme. I’m basing them on the Royal Family. Hopefully the buyers will see that and want to keep them in the UK.
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Life is too short and precious to not live it to its fullest. That’s why I’m bringing my son with me to display my art in an Art Gallery in London, in April 2023. Please help make this dream come true. Every bit helps. https://gofund.me/f6cfc391