The quality of the final illustration depends very much
on the quality of the photographic reference of the animal.
If you can, try and take photos of your
pet specifically for the image you want to portray.
If you can't do this, then I will try and work with the photos that
you have already.
Poor photographs though, may mean that
I won't be able to capture the best from your pet.
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I have
highlighted below some helpful techniques
to get the best image possible for the portrait.
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Position
Don't stand too far away from your pet when taking photographs.
Try to fill the frame with as much of the animal as possible.
(Subject is too far away in this photograph.
Remember the smaller the image, the less detail can be seen).
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If they are a dark colour, try to position pet in
front of light coloured backgrounds so that the outline of the animal
can be seen.
(Be careful not to have a black dog against
a black background............mission impossible!).
Don't worry too much about the surroundings as it will only be
your pet that I will be drawing.
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Grass will obscure the paws, hoofs etc.
However, this can be incorporated to a certain extent into the illustration.
(In this photograph quite a lot of the
animal is obscured).
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| Lighting
The best lighting for photographs is natural
daylight. Morning time has a cleaner light for some reason!?
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Try not to take photographs in bright sunlight as this will bleach
the animal's natural colours.
The best time is when it is slightly overcast, but bright enough
to see the animal clearly.
(Although this is a nice photograph of
the animal the sun is a bit too bright causing darker shadow areas
and bleached out areas. However this can be adapted in the illustration
if I have other reference photographs of the true colour likeness).
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Only use 'flash' on the camera
to highlight areas that may be too dark to see in normal light.
These photos will only be used as reference to the final image.
(The more photographs, the better!)
The Pose
If it is just a head and shoulders portrait,
then get as close as possible to the animal, bearing in mind of
how you want the final image to look.
To get their attention, try a squeeky toy, but
bear in mind that this will make their ears prick up. If it's a
more 'relaxed look' that you want then you will have to be patient
to capture this from your pet.
If you have trouble keeping them still, then
you can have someone holding them in the position. As long as they
don't obscure the animal in anyway, it's a good, last resort method.
I won't be drawing the person though - that's extra!!! |
In the case of a 'working dog' you may want them panting so an energetic
game before the
'photo-shoot' may work.
(When they do pant though, they tend to
close their eyes a bit more, as in this photograph, which wont be
as good for the final portrait. Try and let them rest a bit before
the photoshoot or just keep clicking away until you have a photograph
with which you are happy with).
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Try to take the photographs from 'their'
eye level or below, by keeping low.
(Looking down on the subject creats an
odd perspective especially when you will be veiwing the portrait
at a higher level).
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Take as many photographs as possible in different positions as they
all help with reference to the final illustration. (i.e. close-up
shots of the head are very important to capture eye colour and details
of markings around muzzle, nose etc)
Above all, try to capture your pet
in the position that most suits their character.
(in this photograph the subject has a
good pose for either type of portrait whether you wanted a full
body OR head and shoulders portrait).
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| Digital or 35mm Camera?
Both cameras can be used but be careful with
the settings on the digital camera.Prints are best to send. Bigger the better!
Digital files can be sent on CD but make sure that they are set
to a high resolution.
(This option can be changed on the camera settings before taking
photographs).
Try and have the setting on 'Super High Quality' or the best quality
that you have for the camera. Try not to use digital zoom as this
degrades the image quality. Most of these cameras have an optical
zoom too. This is the better option for the final image! If all else fails, just send me what you have
and I will do my best!!
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