Several weeks ago, I wrote about my portrait of Harry, here, though this portrait is actually titled “Master of Mystery.” Like with my portrait of Hope, I thought it might be interesting to put together a series of images to show the progression of the piece, so you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating a custom pet portrait.

This post is a little on the long side, but don’t worry–it’s mostly pictures!

I remembered to take a photo of just the drawing before I started working on the collage! Some pieces require a more detailed drawing; others need less. It’s mostly about blocking in the shapes and colors and getting the proportions right.

I find that I don’t really start in the same spot for my collages. For Harry, I started with his nose and face.

Then I added in the eyes and started on his legs. The reference photo I was using didn’t show his feet, but the portrait worked better with them visible, so I had to use a different photo to get the feet!

Working on the black part of his body. Both black and white animals are never really just solid black or solid white. There are subtle color variations that often need to be emphasized a little more in a portrait to give a sense of depth and three-dimensionality.

It’s helpful to work on areas in the order of how the fur lies so that the pieces overlap in a way that looks more realistic and fur-like.

After I finished his chest, I went back and worked on his head.

Now it’s actually starting to look like Harry!

He’s almost done. Now it’s time to start on the background.

Building up the background. I find green and blue make good background colors for many of my portraits. They provide a nice color contrast that allows the pet to show up well and look natural.

Now to add in the whiskers. Whiskers are tricky to make out of torn paper! They can be too overpowering for some pieces and I often leave them out unless they’re a necessary part of the animal’s ‘look.’  In Harry’s case (and with most cats, really), they’re definitely necessary.

All done, and it looks fantastic!

And finally, here’s a bonus photo of Harry, begging for food at the door.

Would you like a custom portrait of your own pet? You can check out the process here or email me at tamara@tamarajaeger.com with any questions!

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