February 2, 2010
new pet portrait commission
Recently I was commissioned to do a portrait of Clancy, a much-loved, spunky springer spaniel who lives with his family in San Francisco. This portrait will be a surprise gift from one of his parents to the other - I can't wait to hear her reaction!
Under ideal circumstances, I get to meet the pet myself, take my own reference photos, and spend some time with them in their home, trying to get a bit of an impression of their personality. I was delighted to have the opportunity to do this with Clancy.
I went through my photos and provided my client with three different sketches I'd made from my favorite photos of Clancy - the photos I felt best represented what I saw of his personality (and how cute he is!) I asked her to decide which one she wanted. Here's the sketches I gave her:

on to the final....