Photography
Choose one or more good quality photos that best represent your friend.
Please note that it is impossible to represent in a portrait something that does not appear in the photo, so choosing the right photo is essential. Send the original photo by email, or wetransfer, in order to keep all the original definition of the photo. Photos taken from social networks, such as Instagram or Facebook, have already been compressed when uploaded and lose a lot of definition and quality, resulting in an unrealistic portrait.
Most mobile phones these days have good quality cameras, so you don't need professional photography to get good results, just be careful with a few factors:
Light
Light is the factor that most affects the quality of a photo; photos that are too dark or overexposed hide essential details for a good portrait. Flash and indoor light also alter the animal's natural shadows and colours. Indirect sunlight is best, ideally outside.
The greater the detail in the photo, the more realistic the portrait of the animal will be. Make sure that important details such as the muzzle or eyes are in focus: if you zoom in and the image appears blurred, it's unlikely to result in a good quality portrait.
Angle
The best position is with the animal sitting facing you. Try to place yourself at eye level with your pet by squatting or sitting on the floor. Photos taken from above tend to distort the proportions and make the animal appear to have a larger head or muzzle than is actually the case. If you want a good frontal shot, one trick is to place a treat side by side with your mobile phone or camera when you take the photo, making the animal look at you intently. Alternatively, you may want to choose a funny expression, a grimace that they usually make, or a moment that you have captured by chance and that you want to see replicated in the portrait.
Take care that leashes, collars, harnesses or other objects don't hide relevant details. These props can usually be eliminated from the portrait as long as they don't hide relevant details about the animal.
More than an animal
You don't need to capture the image of every animal you want to see in the same photo. Often this is even impossible, for example if you want to see a portrait of an animal that has already died and it is impossible to take new photos. I can put more than one animal in the same portrait from individual photos as long as the perspective and lighting are roughly the same.
Size
Undecided on the size of the portrait? The size depends on the effect you want: is it an imposing portrait to take pride of place on the largest wall in your living room? A small portrait to keep you company on your desk while you work? The larger the portrait, the more realistic it will be; if you're looking for a hyper-realistic portrait, then you should opt for the larger sizes available.
The size of the animal also affects the choice: a labrador or German shepherd, for example, will look better in A3 or A2 size, even life-size. The same applies if you want two or more animals in the same portrait. If you want to portray a cat, a pinscher or even a guinea pig, then the smallest size will suffice. A full-length portrait will need to be done in one of the larger sizes. Get in touch if you need help choosing the ideal size.
Framing and conservation
Pastel is a dry medium that requires the drawing to be protected by protective glass when framing. It is also recommended to use an internal frame to avoid direct contact between the pastel and the glass; touching the glass to the pastel causes the pigment to peel off and irreparable damage to the drawing. Also avoid touching the surface of the drawing - dry pastel is not protected by a fixative and touching the surface will smudge the details and cause loss of pigment, damaging the portrait.
Protect the design from sunlight/UV rays. Sunlight causes discolouration and irrecoverable loss of pigment. If you follow these recommendations, your design will survive for many years, even centuries.
