Custom “We Can Do It!” Painting with your strong girl in it – feminist gift

Show the strong little girl in your life that "she can do it" with her own, custom-painted "We Can Do It!" painting featuring her caricature in the painting! This is the perfect feminist gift for the holidays. Rebel girls rejoice in gifts celebrating the strength and power of our future generation of women!

Click here to order this custom painting for your empowered little girl! Prices start at just $100 for an 8" x 10" canvas size.

I originally painted the sample shown in the photos for my own little girl's room. She loved it and said, "Mommy, I look so powerful!" when I hung it above her bed. I immediately decided to offer it in my shop so that, I hope, many other little girls will feel similarly empowered to see their own caricature painted in this iconic image.

The painting itself is created on a high quality, archival canvas, gallery-wrapped on an extra-deep 1.5 inch deep stretcher bar. I use only professional quality acrylic paints and canvasses, just like I do for the paintings I send off to art galleries and art shows. Even if it's intended for kids, I make sure that this is still an heirloom quality piece. I also install a professional, strong, coated hanging wire for you, so it's ready to hang the moment you pull it out of the box.

Custom Painting for Children’s Room or Nursery – Upscale Children’s Decor

Monsters are friends, too!

This painting allows you to order a large, hand painted portrait of your own child or children right in the middle of this whimsical monster scene! Who knows what amazing adventures your children and these adorable monsters are up to. Only their imaginations can set the limits!

This idea began when I painted the original "Monster Parade" painting with my own son leading the march. A mom-friend loved it and asked if she could order one just like it with her two sons. I decided to open it up to orders from anybody, and have the listing in my Etsy shop.

Click here to order a custom, large painting of your child or children leading the monster parade!

This painting is huge, at 12" high by 36" wide. It will bring bright, fun color and whimsy to any play room, child's room or nursery! It is painted by a professional artist (myself), and because you are ordering something with most of the design already set, you are not going to pay the huge cost of a completely custom painting like this at that size.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or check out the ordering page for more details.

Custom Day of the Dead Portraits of People and Couples Now Available

I was originally contacted about painting a Dia de los Muertos portrait of a woman by somebody who had seen my Dia de los Muertos pet portraits. I was thrilled and really enjoyed painting it. Visitors to my studio who saw if on the easel loved it as well, and that was my sign. I am now offering these beautiful portraits in my shop. Order Day of the Dead couples portraits as a really special wedding gift for your engaged friends, or contact me for special arrangements to use them as your wedding invitation!

Click here to order your own Day of the Dead Custom Portrait. Many sizes are available, all on quality stretched canvasses, with deep sides which have the beautiful added detail work shown in the photos below.

 

Pet Portrait Sale Going on Now!

All of my custom portraits are on sale while I try to beat this Arizona heat by staying inside in the AC, painting amazing portraits for my customers!

Whether you’d like a traditional pet portrait, a colorful pet portrait, a Day of the Dead style pet portrait, a memorial pet portrait, or even a portrait of a person, it is all on sale!

Simply click here to go to the custom portraits section of my Etsy store, select your custom portrait style and size, and then in checkout enter the coupon code SUMMERHEAT for 10% off of your entire order!

This sale will continue through the end of July, so tell your friends… I hope you’re finding your own way to stay cool this summer!

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Custom Day of the Dead Dog Portraits

You can order a custom portrait of your dog hand-painted on canvas or rice paper in Day of the Dead portrait style for under $100!

Please check out my Pet Portraits page to look at your style options, or click on the links below to go directly to the ordering pages for each of my day of the dead Pet Portrait styles.

Day of the Dead / Contemporary Fusion Pet Portrait - Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Click here to order!

Tattoo-Inspired Day  of the Dead Pet Portrait - Fluid Acrylics on Rice Paper

Click here to order!

 

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Day of the Dead Style Pet Portrait or Memorial - Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Click here to order!

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What style of pet portrait is right for you?

I offer a variety of styles of pet portrait paintings. Check out your options below to decide which style best suits you and your pet. Remember, every pet portrait commission is completely custom, so you can make requests as well!

Ordering a custom pet portrait is easy and fun. Click below each style to go to the ordering page. Then I'll walk you through the rest (hint: you send me photos of your pet and some information about his or her personality, and I take it from there!)

Colorful Custom Pet Portrait

This colorful pet portrait is painted on canvas, with as much or as little bold use of color as you'd like. These portraits tend to have a lot of energy and really brighten up a room.

Click here to order your colorful pet portrait.

Traditional Pet Portrait

My traditional pet portraits are painted with more of a "realism" style and are an elegant accent to any room. You can always request a few extra pops of color to be added to these portraits if you choose.

Click here to order your traditional pet portrait.

Day of the Dead Pet Portrait

I create these paintings with a fusion of my painting style with the amazingly beautiful Mexican Day of the Dead style for a truly unique piece of art featuring your beloved animal. It is a dreamy and surreal take on portraiture.

Click here to order your Day of the Dead pet portrait.

Day of the Dead Pet Portrait on Rice Paper

These sugar skull portraits are painted in more of a "tattoo" style, on beautiful, hand-made rice paper with a gorgeous emulsion of sea shell powder that gives it a lustrous surface. They include your pet's name in a banner as shown.

Click here to order your Day of the Dead pet portrait.

Day of the Dead Style Pet Memorial

Similar to the previous portrait, these are painted in a Day of the Dead style with your pet's name in a banner. The difference is that these are painted on canvas, so there are more size options, and the entire background is hand-painted with flower accents. This is a popular pet memorial painting.

Click here to order your Day of the Dead pet portrait.

Pet Portrait Painted from Photo – See the Transformation

Pet portraits painted from photos are much more than just a replica of the photo…

A customer recently told me that she wanted a portrait painted of her dog because the painting would be able to capture the essence of her dog, while a photo only captures a moment. I thought that was a really beautiful way to put it. When we got started on her custom portrait, she sent me photos, videos and lots of loving details about her dog, Pepper. I felt like when I got started on  even just the preliminary sketch work, I knew her dog and he was coming to life in front of me.

When I paint pet portraits from photos, I don't just ask you for the photo, paint what I see in the picture, and deliver it to you like a painted replica. There is so much more to it! Every portrait involves communication about your pet. What were his or her favorite things to do? What funny little habits did he or she have? What about your pet just absolutely captured your heart?

 

A pet portrait painted from a photo takes on a life of its own, inspired by your pet's heart and personality. I like to say that when I'm done, the portrait breathes with the life of your pet. Every brush stroke is painted with your pet's heart and soul in mind.

Below are a few samples of photos and the painted portrait that I created from them.

If you'd like a portrait painted of your own pet, click here to place your order.

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What Moms Want for Mother’s Day – Make it Unique with a Custom Portrait

Ideas for Mother's Day can be hard to come by sometimes. What do you get for the woman who raised you and continues to love you more than any other human being on the planet, despite everything we put our moms through over the years… I mean, let's be honest here. From writing on the walls to stomach bugs to broken vases, our moms have cleaned up after us and loved us through thick and thin! They deserve something really special on their special day.

Never fear, I have you covered!

Moms love something that is unique, made just for her. Order your mom a custom portrait of her favorite pet, or of her grandchildren. Next to you, there's nobody she loves more!

If time is getting tight, you can still do it! I offer gift certificates for my custom portraits as well, which allow your mom to be a part of the process as I create the portrait for her, with her input along the way. It's a fun process and again, something so unique she'll treasure it for years to come.

Pet Portraits – Custom Painted Pet Portraits in Pocket Size

These small, custom pet portraits are absolutely adorable and are perfect as gifts or as “pocket portraits” to fit easily in your cubicle at work, on your bedside table, or even into your suitcase when you travel! Slide one into somebody special’s stocking during the holidays or tuck one into a little gift bag for a BIG surprise! These little beauties have the same high quality work put into them as my very popular larger portraits on canvas… they’re just smaller!

Order your “pocket portrait” here!

These portraits are painted on DaVinci Pro Panels – strong wood panels crafted from fine-grained Birch wood for long-term warp resistance and a fantastic archival painting surface. They are gesso-primed, painted with professional acrylic paints, then finished with a beautiful gloss varnish for protection, beauty and longevity.

You have your choice of a 4″ x 6″ or 5″ x 5″ panel.

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Pet Portraits Painted from Photos – Tips for the Perfect Reference Photo

Capturing a great photo of your pet is the first step in getting an amazing painted pet portrait!

When you hire me to paint a custom portrait of your pet, quality reference material is the key to an amazing finished painting!

There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. When I'm painting a memorial portrait, I know the customer can't follow my guide to capture an ideal photo, and that's OK. In those cases, I simply ask for as many photos as you can provide, from a variety of angles, and I create a great portrait anyway. I've even painted a portrait of two best buddy dogs together when one passed and their owner realized he'd never captured that "perfect" photo of the two dogs together.

Barring that unavoidable scenario, there's no reason you (yes, YOU!) can't capture a fabulous photo of your pet by following a few easy guidelines. This may even change the way you photograph your pets from now on!

Read on for my fail-safe guide to photographing your pet, and when you're done, be sure to visit my Pet Portraits page for information on ordering a painting created from your beautiful photo!

1. Get down to "pet level"

Photos taken from "human" height tend to look down on your pet, and that results in awkward photos. Get down on the ground yourself for some great angles right at eye-level with your pet. You'll be surprised how much better your photographs turn out with this simple adjustment in angle!

Tip: prop a treat up on top of your camera to encourage your pet to look towards the camera with a bright, eager expression!

2. Take your photos at the highest quality level your camera or phone offers

I can paint with great detail if the detail exists within the reference photo itself. Fuzzy, low-quality, grainy or pixelated photos don't give me a lot of fine detail to work with. Zoom in on the photos as you take them to make sure they're focused, crisp and full of all of that great detail I love to reference in the paintings themselves!

3. Light is your friend when taking photos of your pet!

Both overly dark photos, taken in deep shadows or dark homes, or overly bright photos with glaring sun, can destroy the subtle shadows and highlights that give the best result in your final photo. However, soft, natural light is wonderful! One great way to achieve this indoors is to take the photo by a glass door or large window, which will allow the light to softly wash over your pet for a beautiful effect.

Tip: Pro photographers call the time shortly after sunrise and right before sunset 'The Magic Hour" because the light has a gorgeous, soft, gold-to-red glow. If you can take a photo of your pet outside at this time, nature will provide you with absolutely stunning light!

4. Avoid these common errors

See below some examples of what not to do when photographing your pet: