ClaireYatesArt

Pet Portraits

Commissions

About Pet Portraits

I absolutely adore animals and thats why I love working on pet portrait commissions. Having 3 cats of my own I am constantly observing their fur , eyes - you name it! I always work in detail, studying every hair and each glint in the eyes. I have been taking on commissions now for the past 40 years and I could'nt think of anything better to spend my time. I feel the most important part of the animal are the eyes. As they say 'the eyes are the windows to the soul

What will be included with the Pet portrait?

A portrait in pastel (if chosen) on high quality Clairefontaine Pastelmat paper
A portrait in graphite (if chosen) on Fabriano Bristol 220g white paper
The portrait in a surround mount on high quality Ivory Acid Free mountboard
An A4 Certificate of Authenticity - plus a smaller one to put on the back of the framed painting
Instructions on how to handle your portrait once you have recieved it
Plus 4 greeting cards with your finished portrait on, so that you can proudly send to family and freinds

Reference Material

All I need to work on the portrait is a few high quality, clear photographs of the animal, especially that show the eye and fur in detail. These can be sent to me via email. I have found recently that, for example, Whatsapp tends to compress the quality. So email or another sharing platform like Google photos or Dropbox is perfect. If you send me a photograph or cd or even a pendrive then these will be returned to you with the finished painting. If you live in Spain, within a reasonable distance, I can arrange to meet you and your pet and take the photo for you.

If you are going to take a new photograph of your pet, the ideal photograph would be one that is of high quality and in focus, which has been taken in good light, preferably natural sunlight. The eyes need to be clearly visible as these would be the main focus of the painting. Unless the portrait is of a sleeping animal. And the fur has to be in detail especially to show the colour. If you can try to take as many photos as you can as I know it can be difficult to photograph animals when they are a bit lively. We can work together and choose a few good ones and take it from there. Another good tip is if you can get down the the pet's level.
A good tip is to get the camera lens level with the eyes.

Medium

Pastel

For pet portrait commissions I like to work in soft pastel on Clairefontaine PastelMat paper as it creates a softer look. And I find that the colours when working with pastel are vibrant.
Pastelmat Paper by Clairefontaine has a slight texture to it which enables the pastel to stick to the surface without creating the need to blend or making too much pastel dust. I discovered this a few years ago and have not looked back since. It's an expensive paper but really good quality and well worth every penny. I start with soft pastel and then work the detail with pastel pencil. Faber Castell and Stabilo Carbothello are my two favourite brands

Pencil/Graphite

I can also work in charcoal and graphite pencil on Fabriano 200gsm paper.
This gives a very different result as I will be working on plain white paper and using various pencils, graphite and charcoal. The end result will be detailed with lots of tonal values.

Group Portraits

If you wish to have more than one animal in the portrait but don't have a photo of them together, having a few seperate photos is acceptable. An example of two different dogs and different photos is shown here. I can compose all of the pets on one portrait. Note that the ideal size for two pets, showing just head a shoulders is 30 x 40 cm.

Timescale

Usually allow 2 - 4 weeks for completion of the portrait, depending on my current workload. If the portrait is for a birthday present then please allow at least 8 weeks before ordering. Christmas is also a busy period and so again please could you order by October. Once I have received your photographs I will start working on it and doing a few rough drafts of the composition etc. I will be in contact with you on each stage of the painting via email or Whatsapp, so that you can inform me if there are any changes to be made. If you are satisfied with the half finished portrait then I will carry on and send you a message with the final result.

Process

Once I have received the images from you and we have then discussed the size of the painting, or if you want a scenic background, then I will sketch out the composition for the portrait. I always start by painting the eyes and then work around them. The eyes will always be the focus of the painting. Once I have made a start I will be in contact with you constantly and will send you an email of the painting so far. If you are happy to proceed then I will carry on.

Framing

All paintings sent outside of Spain will be supplied with a surround mount but no frame due to risk of damage during transit. But with the sizes that I've suggested in the price guide, frames can be easily bought from Ikea or if in Spain , Leroy Merlin. Or if you prefer you can take the painting to a frame shop and get one custom made.

Payment

Before the work commences on your portrait I will require deposit of 50% of the total cost of the painting. This will be a non-refundable payment up front. On completion of the finished portrait, then I will require the full payment before delivering the portrait to you. I can accept payment through Paypal or bank transfer. If you reside outside of Spain and have a Paypal account then the easiest way to send money internationally is by using 'XOOM by Paypal or Transferwise. Alternatively You can pay by Revolut. We will be in touch during the process and we can discuss your preferred payment method.

Shipping

Postage is not included in the quote for the portrait. So will be required to be paid with the final invoice.
I use Correos postal service and the portrait will be sent using registered post, which will be tracked. I have found in the past that it will usually take around 2 days to a week to get to the destination. The cost is around €20-30.But will obviously differ depending on the size of the portrait commissioned.