Mari’s second work in progress (see the sketch and her reference photo here), her mom liked the background on another cat portrait I completed back in 2005 of Nicki, so I’ve used similar shades on Mari’s. It’s showing a bit more red than it is, the color will be more accurate once I can balance it against her under painting.

Will update again when her under painting is complete!

I started Cuddles portrait earlier this week (view the first work in progress here), sketching out her pose and adding wings, since Cuddles has passed over the rainbow bridge.

Her mom wanted a beautiful sunset of pinks and yellow to fill the background of this 8″ x 8″ portrait, so I did a nice gradation of warm colors (winsor yellow, cadmium orange, magenta, violet, a little white and a smidge of french ultramarine), painting the deep gallery wrapped sides of the portrait in a mix of magenta and violet. I worked in the window sill as well and will start on her under painting as soon as this is dry.

If you’re interested in commissioning me to paint (or draw) a custom pet portrait for you, I’ve added several sizes to my shop, to allow everyone to find a size that will fit into their budget. You can order a custom portrait package directly from my shop, checking out securely through PayPal!

Here’s ACE (Andy’s Cat Extraordinaire), zoomed up close and tightly cropped on a 4″ x 4″ chunky canvas. I’ll be painting his portrait in oils, similarly to Annie, Momo & Callie’s portraits.

If you’d like a piece of original art at a really reasonable price, this size is just perfect. I’ve made a 4″ x 4″ portrait package available in my shop to make it easy to check out (using paypal) for just $55. Click here to order yours!

Meet Cuddles, a tuxedo with really neat markings across her face and nose. She had a wonderful, blessed life with her loving family and passed away last fall after 22 years! I’ve given Cuddles her wings, and she’ll continue to watch over her momma for years to come.

I’ll be painting Cuddles’ portrait in oils, she’s on an 8″ x 8″ chunky canvas (Want your own? See my portrait package available in my shop for just $192!).

More progress to come!

This gorgeous orange and white tabby is Mari. She’s a beauty – such soft fur, I can just imagine how silky it feels under my hand! I’ll be painting her in oils on a 5″ x 7″ canvas panel over the next week or two. (Purchase your own 5″ x 7″ custom portrait right here in my shop!)

I’ve worked up 3 out of 4 portrait sketches yesterday, the 4th is a cat portrait that I’ll be doing in graphite/pencil so I won’t be sketching, I’ll just do the whole portrait in one session.

aka “How to furry up your bald cat.”

 

 

From my previous work in progress, you can go ahead and admit it – you were frightened. It is hard for some people to envision my finished portrait when they view the underpaintings, and that’s okay. I mean, as long as no one is scared off by it! After sharing the final digital pic of the finished portrait with my client last night, I realized that you really do have to know my work, and in a lot of cases you have to own one of my paintings, in order to overlook the craziness that is one of my underpaintings.

So for Kona’s portrait, I decided to stop every so often and snap a photo, and share my entire work in progress. If you’re an artist, and you want to take this as a “how to paint a cat portrait”, then I do hope this helps you. I’ll try to detail out my thought process through the painting so you can get an idea of how I work.

Keep reading »

Just finished Kona’s underpainting! So good to be out in the studio again.

I’ve kept my palette to a minimum, using just 8 colors. Indigo, sap green, burnt umber for my darkest darks, magenta, ochre, winsor yellow and cadmium orange for Kona’s coat, and white. Oh, yes, and I pulled in just a smidge of french ultramarine for her multi-striped collar.

I’ll apply several coats of fur once the underpainting is dry and also glossy up her eyes and nose. She’ll be just beautiful when she’s all done!

I’ve begun a new cat portrait! This is Kona, an orange tabby. My client chose the background color, which I think is really going to set off her beautiful coat color, and also go well with the other portraits I’ve already completed once they’re hung together in an arrangement! (Elsie, Badger, Jambalaya and now Kona. Taysia Blue, another husky in the family, will have her portrait done eventually, as well.)

I’ve used a mixture of both Sap and Olive green for this background color, lightening it up a bit using Naples Yellow Light, which is a very beautiful creamy color that warms the greens around her face.

I’ll be working on her underpainting today, so look for that over the next day or two.

I’ve gone and snuck in another painting on you – this is Soubi, a sweet little baby orange tabby kitty. It’s a 4×4 painting, so not very big – and I’ve been working it in as I’ve been working on Tucker’s portraits.