Pet Portraits – Little Lou and Callie

Little Lou and Callie

Callie didn’t want his picture made, letting me know this by turning his face away from the camera.  When I finally got him, I didn’t tell him his stern face was cute, for fear he would completely leave the scene.  As soon as I got a full face of Callie, however, Little Lou turned away! This photo consists of two that I combined in Photoshop before I painted it in Corel Painter.

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Pet Portraits – Kasey

Kasey

Two days until Thanksgiving.  Twelve people coming to my house for dinner. I’m painting instead of getting food ready! I did go to the grocery store, but the parking lot was crowded, the aisles were filled with people like me, looking for things they don’t usually buy, and, frankly, I just couldn’t THINK! That’s why I came home and finished this portrait of Kasey that I have been working on instead of chopping parsley and onions, and whatever else needs to be done to all that food.

Kasey lives with Bailey and Chance. I’ve done a Corel Painter portrait of each of them over the past year. I created the background for Kasey using several distortion brushes, including Den’s Funky Chunky which is one of my favorite brushes. It came on a disc with a Jeremy Sutton book I bought. After the background was finished, I following my usual pattern of bringing the dog back in through the transparent layer I was painting on using Chalk and Pastel brushes. I liked the loose look of the background strokes, so I  was careful not to bring in so much detail that the looseness would be lost. The eyes are the main detail area, which is good, because that is the focal point. Kasey is a bright, alert dog. I hope it shows.

I’ll email this version to Kasey’s person for her approval, and then I’d had better go do something in the kitchen.

Pet Portraits – Bailey

Bailey ©3DogStudio

I love to paint the pups in Corel Painter.  Cats, foxes, horses, sheep and fish, too. The name Three Dog Studio came about in honor of the three Samoyeds that lived with us for fourteen years, and gave all my projects their stamp of approval.  It is probably because of the name that people asked me to do portraits of their pets. The Sammies have been gone for several years, but I like it that my name reminds me of them every day.  My complete photo gallery and many more pet portraits are at www.threedogstudio.com .

Bailey is one of the latest commissioned pet portraits I have completed.  He is a very nice boy.  I met him and his person in a park near us to take his picture, and Bailey didn’t even need to be on a leash. Even if there had been a leash in the picture, I can easily paint it out in Painter, as well as distracting elements in the background.

My usual technique for pet portraits is to experiment with various brushes and textures to get a background I like, then paint the whole surface with crazy strokes and colors.  I can see my photograph through the transparent layer I’m working on, so when I like my background, I use clone brushes to bring the dog back in through the mess I’ve made. I usually start with a large, low opacity chalk brush and progress to the pastel artist’s brush, getting more and more detailed, especially on the fur and eyes.  There are many variations along the way, but that is the general procedure.  Painter is a huge program, with lots of choices for experimentation.

Bailey is one of three dogs I have done for his family.  They were pleased that he was awarded an Editor’s Choice in the Better Photo September Monthly Contest, and so was I.

Inspired by the Rainman

 

Leaves on my Patio ©3DogStudio

I haven’t taken any photographs, except for Halloween, since August.  So, what’s with that?  

I love my amazing Canon DSLR, but I have to admit it’s heavy, it has a lot of parts, and my family is now conditioned to hide or make faces at the very sight of it in my hand.  An attitude adjustment is in order, and I think I know what needs to be done.

Last week I purchased a tiny little camera I can carry in my pocket.  There are very few settings or adjustments, no lenses to change, no tripod to set up, no extensive post-processing. It’s just to record everyday moments from my perspective, and to have fun doing it, like Dustin Hoffmann’s character in Rainman.  His skewed, out-of-focus photos were a metaphor for the way the world appeared to him. Clearly, though, he was happy while he was photographing, and I can relate to that.  My hope is that this accessible little camera will get me back into a regular shooting habit, and be less intimidating for the people I want to photograph the most.

I took some random shots today, evidence of fall in my yard, while I was learning to use the new camera. There’s nothing here I would send in to a contest, but I haven’t been shooting anything at all with my fancy DSLR, let alone any prize winners

Oak Leaf Hydrangea ©3DogStudio

 

The Oak Leaf Hydrangea pleases in every season.  I’ve already saved and dried the summer flowers, now I can enjoy the colors of fall.  The best thing about the Hydrangea is it’s easy-going personality.  It doesn’t mind being too wet, or too dry, or demand special food.  It just enjoys life as it comes, and it’s very photogenic.

There is a one touch macro button on my new camera. It’s a no-brainer to work, and the colors are true.

 

Lamb's Ears ©3DogStudio

 

 

 

Lamb’s Ear leaves stay green through the winter, but they don’t have the fuzzy white summer coating that the children (and I) love to touch.

I’m pleased with the sharp focus I’m getting.

 

Suspended Teacup ©3DogStudio

 

I didn’t create an optical illusion, or add a layer in Photoshop.  It’s really a teacup on a rod pushed into the ground.   I put it under the eaves of the house to keep rainwater from collecting and becoming a mosquito breeding ground.

The little cup has always looked so cheerful on its perch above the ground cover.  Now it looks like it should be retired.  Fall does that to things.

House of Wasps ©3DogStudio

 

 

 

 

 

The dead leaves hanging on the grillwork aren’t signs of fall, but where I had to end a summer pruning job by jumping off the ladder when two wasps flew under my t-shirt!  It seems their home is right beside the grillwork flower on the right hand side, and they objected to me renovating their property!  Do wasps migrate?  If so, I might go out and finish the job.

I’m getting a good feel for the camera.  No fancy footwork allowed, but I wanted a p-o-i-n-t-a-n-d-s-h-o-o-t camera, did I not?

 

Orange Leaves, Blue Skies ©3DogStudio

 

I love the bright, complementary colors of fall: orange and blue, red and green.

The camera did a nice job with a backlit scene, even though I subsequently gave the image a boost in Photoshop.  I lied when I said I didn’t want to bother with a lot of post-processing.  That’s really my favorite part of digital photography!  I love it all.  I must be back in business.  That little pocket camera was a great idea.