Often while working on a painting, I have ideas for other paintings. While working on the fawns, I managed to come up with an idea for a new series of paintings. This one is going to be really fun and I'm totally excited about starting. It's a little more complicated than just picking up a paint brush though, and I've been forced to do a little bit of planning before making this announcement (and therefore, commitment - something I learned a lot about during the 30 Paintngs in 30 Days Challenge).
Here's the plan: I'm going to paint a series of pets that have been adopted. Dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits…. Also, I want to include the "story" that goes with each animal. Each of the paintings will be painted with water mixable oils on archival paper and will be 6" x 8" or less, with prices no higher than $100. Ten percent of all sales will go to my local animal shelters. And…… when I'm done with the series, I'll create a book about adopting animals that includes the paintings. (A percentage of the book sales will go to shelters, too, although I have to admit I didn't get the logistics of that done in my planning.)
To do this project I'm going to need photos and stories of animals that have been adopted. If you have adopted your pet(s) and would like to be a part of this project, please send me 2-3 photos (no flash please!). Your photos should be at least 5 inches on the longest side and 100 dpi. Remember, the better your photos are, the better I can "see" your pet and the better a painting will be. I'll include tips for photographing your pet below. Please send photos that you have taken yourself - no copyrighted images (taken by someone else). If I create a painting from your photos, you will have first "dibs" to purchase, but no obligation to buy.
Photographing Pets Tips
- Use natural (outside) light, if possible. Be careful to avoid direct sunlight and harsh shadows.
- Don' use a flash - it causes red-eye.
- If you have to take photos inside - use a well-lit room. Place your pet near a window with the light coming from the side. Avoid artificial light that may not show your pet's fur color correctly.
- Get down on their level or below - lie on the floor, or put the pet higher than you are.
- Close up shots - fill the frame with face - use your camera's zoom feature
- Focus on eyes
- Capture their character. Take photos of the things they like to do.
The painting I did of our Jack Russell Terrier, Lizzy, came from a photo that I took using all these suggestions. Lizzy loves to lie in sunbeams. I had to lay down on the floor to take the photo. You can see that painting in this blog post.
I'm looking forward to seeing your photos and doing lots of paintings.
susan
www.susangarriques.com
susan@susangarriques.com
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