Pet Portraits Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Perth Adelaide

The old adage, the better the photo, the better painting certainly holds true with pet portraits. As a pet portrait artist, I am continually perusing through photos that people send to me to find the perfect pose to use for a memorable portrait.

The very best view for the photo is to be eye level with the animal you wish to photograph. Try to have their nose tipped downward slightly, otherwise the camera may distort their nose and jaw making them appear larger than they really are. For smaller dogs or cats, I like to place them up on a couch or chair, so that I can be eye level with them. The furniture also makes a nice backdrop to the painting. Even larger dogs look adorable and comfy lounging on a couch, chair or bed. I sometimes use a little squeak from a dog toy to cause a dog to prick up his or her ears. This can backfire, however, if the dog wants to play and leaves his pose for a lively romp!

It’s not necessary to be too concerned with the background in the photo. One nice thing about paintings is that backgrounds can be easily changed. If the perfect photo has a less than perfect background, a more meaningful background can be placed into the painting. If your dog loves the beach, the mountains, backyard or wherever, this background can be painted into the portrait. One woman wanted her father’s Miniature Pinscher named Lucy placed in a Texas theme. The reference photo was of Lucy on gravel pavement with picnic supplies behind her. I changed the background to a grassy area with a blanket behind her hanging in the wind that contained the Lone Star of Texas symbol on the blanket. Lucy’s red scarf against her black fur added that special touch to the portrait.

I remember photographing a Shih Tzu named Bailey outside on his bed which was placed low on the rock patio. I laid flat on my stomach for that photo. Bailey was experiencing the last few weeks of his life, was incontinent and couldn’t be photographed inside the house or on any piece of furniture. The day was warm and sunny and Bailey looked his best in his green bed smiling a greeting among the red carnations growing in pots behind him. He had a very long and comfortable life and I’m so honored to have met him before he passed on.

Fortunately, it is possible to combine photos for the animal, as well as the background. I remember a Merle Australian Shepherd named Annie. Her Mom sent several good photos to me of Annie sitting in her backyard. “The photo I love best,” she told me, “is the one with her ears back. I wish her ears were more forward. Otherwise, this would have been the perfect photo.” One of the photos she had sent to me were showing Annie’s ears forward, so I just combined the two photos into one painting, painting Annie’s ears forward from the one photo and using the body posture and expression of the other photo. Annie’s Mom was delighted!

I remember one visit to an aged Rottweiler’s home. The dog’s name was Ginger and she was very gray around the muzzle and had a problem with arthritis. Ginger’s Mom was unable to take the photo because of a tremor in her hands. Ginger was utterly terrified of the camera. Every time I took the camera out of my pocket, Ginger would meander behind some piece of furniture or turn her head away and hide behind her Mom. We decided a chew toy would settle her down and Ginger promptly hid under the dining room table with her prize as she began to gnaw on it. “Now’s my chance,” I thought to myself.

Knowing she had arthritis and wouldn’t be able to scramble away from me in a hurry, I slowly moved the chairs out of my way and climbed under the table! “I’ll either be killed or get a great photo,” I thought to myself. Not hearing any growling or other warning signal from Ginger, I lay flat on the floor in front of her. Just then Ginger’s Mom called her name, Ginger looked up and “Click!” I got a truly great photo. I did thank the angels that day as I drove home with my prize photo waiting patiently in my digital camera. For the painting, I just deleted the furniture around her and added a lovely background. I painted out the gray on her muzzle and also added a young, fresher appearance to the golden tan of her face and body.

Cats are extremely photogenic. They seem to be striking up a pose no matter what they do. I love window shots especially. There’s just something about a cat peering out the window that makes a lovely composition for a painting. One of my favorite reference photos was of a cat named Tillie lying amid her mom’s scarf. The scarf was a maroon color with an interesting pattern and looked great against Tillie’s black fur. The same rule of thumb applies to cats, too, of being sure to be at eye level with them. Even cats that are sleeping make great photos. I especially remember two cats in a basket curled up together that made a lovely painting. You could hardly tell where one cat started and the other one stopped!

With these tips for the best photo angles and explanations of how portraits are painted from reference photos, you’re now ready to capture your pet’s likeness in a way that will contribute to a lasting memorial treasure – a pet portrait either for yourself or a special gift for your friend or relative.

Note: this article may be re-published freely as long as the following resource box is included at the end of the article and as long as you link to the URL mentioned in the resource box:

© Connie Bowen. Pet Portrait Artist and Professional Illustrator Connie Bowen creates stunning pet portrait paintings on canvas from photos. Specializing in capturing the spiritual nature of dogs, cats, horses and other animals in a realistic fashion with impressionistic backgrounds as seen on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s TV show, Art Beat. Over 200 pet portraits completed and counting! Visit http://www.conniebowen.com to view exquisite samples.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Bowen

Buying a landscape painting for mum might be tricky. The last thing you want is to get something that doesn’t look right in the house. Mom might end up placing it in a closet instead of on the wall. Here are some tips to help you with a creative Christmas gift for mom:

Decide which wall you’re going to purchase the piece for. You don’t have to buy a huge piece for it to be a creative Christmas gift for mom. You buy a small art piece that will share the wall other pieces as long as they go together.

Pay attention to the 2 strongest colors in the room, and then choose a piece that has those colors. Take note of things in the room that catch your eye. For example, if there is a beautiful rug in the room then choose a piece with complimentary colors.

It is important to give a creative Christmas gift for mom that matches the style of the home. Whether it’s a country style or has a lot of antiques, floral themed paintings or landscapes can never go wrong.

For a contemporary home, contemporary art is best. For a room that’s colorful, pick landscapes that have less color. For a room that has neutral colors, choose landscapes that are brighter.

If you intend to purchase a landscape as a creative Christmas gift for mom, make sure she has enough wall space. It might be common sense, but large pieces are more suitable for rooms with a lot of space and have high ceilings. If mom’s living space is small, then large pieces may not work. As well, if mom’s home is large, buying landscape art that is too small will make it look out of place.

An afternoon horse ride beside a flowing Australian stream and morning dew brings piece of mind. Or perhaps an invigorating beach ride with the rhythmic splash of the waves is a place mom likes to go in her mind. There’s no doubt that if mom doesn’t have the place to keep the real equine then the best Christmas gift for mom can be a majestic steed painted on canvas.

The best Christmas gift for the mom who doesn’t just daydream and actually has a horse can be a gift of art as well. Even among moms with frantic schedules, sentimental ties to their horse remain important. Therefore, a painting of the animal of her affections can be one of the best gifts for Christmas that mom will get.

Or perhaps the best Christmas gift for mom would be a painting of a frolicking horse parade with equine lovers of all kinds, from cowboys to city folk, dressed up in their fanciest clothes atop their trusty horse. A heartwarming piece of art like this can be done in a pet portrait from a favorite photo that mom has.

Maybe mom had a favorite story as a young girl like ‘The Black Stallion’. Perhaps she dreamed of one day owning such a magnificent animal. For one who had childhood dreams of such a fine horse, the best Christmas gift of this mom may be a piece of artwork as beautiful as the stallion himself.

Some, who want to immortalize this historic event, may do it with a Christmas gift of art in the form of a portrait from a photo of the 44th president of the US, if one is of the mind that Barack Obama is a great Christmas gift this year and have been a supporter of the grass roots candidate. He has become a sort of family member to many and Christmas is about family and for these, this might be the best Christmas gift for 2008.

There has been an ongoing stir about Barack Obama who comes from modest roots of color and he has even been the subject of recent art shows. An art gallery in Paris ran a show recently that shows just how much street creed the Democratic candidate has with some Europeans. Dorothy’s Gallery, in the Bastille District of Paris ran the exhibit until November 17th. Most of the pieces on display were by French artists; and most, if not all, put Barack Obama in an optimistic light. There were sculptures, photographs, sketches, caricatures and photo collages. Supporters were probably able to get multiple Christmas gift ideas from these works.

During this race Australians preferred Barack Obama to John McCain by 4 to 1, and half said he would be good for Australia, according to a survey by the US Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. As a member of the senate, he aided in creating laws to control conventional weapons, electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned U.S. military personnel.

However, the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, criticized his anti-war stance early on and he may not feel that Barack Obama is the best Christmas gift. I doubt that he will have a portrait of the 44th president hanging in his office and would be more likely to have a portrait of a family member.

If you feel that Barack Obama being the next US president is like getting a lump of coal in your stocking, then you may feel that a portrait of your own family member is the best Christmas gift. If your Christmas gift list doesn’t include people who would enjoy a portrait of the 44th US president and would prefer a portrait of their family member, one can have a portrait masterfully created from a photograph.

These days many couples live together, so more than likely, they have all the household bits and pieces that they need like appliances and linens. Besides the fact that a gift idea that comes from the kitchen department of any Sydney department store is probably already in their household, it’s mundane. Why not look into a Christmas gift idea that will be proudly displayed and treasured such as couple portraits.

If the couple lives far away, you might feel that the best gift idea would be money. Of course everyone likes to receive money, but you can give a more personal gift of a hand painted portrait and have it sent right to their door.

Just think back about when you were starting a new household with your significant other.  If the household was combined from two previous homes you probably had 2 of almost everything; 2 coffee pots, 2 toasters, etc. Then when Christmas rolled around, you probably got more of these terrific gifts that you had to lug back to the store to exchange. The gift idea of couple portraits won’t fall into the category of ‘to be returned’.

A thoughtful Christmas gift of having a couple’s portrait hand painted from a photo of the two of them is a gift idea that won’t be easily topped. This unique gift idea doesn’t have to be just for new couples either. What couple wouldn’t prefer showing off their hand painted Christmas gift from you instead of the toaster oven that Auntie Nell sent.

Bart Cummings Wins another Melbourne Cup in 2008! Congratualtions!

Cummings was born in in 1927, son of successful trainer Jim Cummings. He started his career working for his father as a strapper, despite being allergic to hay.

[edit] Training career

Cummings received his trainer license in 1953, and set up stables at Glenelg in South Australia. His first significant win came in 1958, when he won the South Australian Derby, the same year he bought his first yearling.

Cummings won his first Trainer’s Premiership in the 1965-1966 season. Not only did he achieve his first Melbourne Cup victory, but he also won the Adelaide, Caulfield, Sandown, Sydney, Brisbane and Queen’s cups.

In 1968, Cummings opened stables at Flemington in Melbourne, home of the Flemington Racecourse, now called ‘Saintly Lodge’. Later that year, he won the Trainer’s Premiership in both Victoria and South Australia, a feat which he would replicate in the 1969 and 1970 seasons.

In 1969, the favourite for the Melbourne Cup was Cummings’ horse Big Philou, which had already won the Caulfield Cup. However, the horse was drugged with a large dose of laxative the night before the race and was unable to compete.

In 1975, Cummings moved his operations to a new facility near Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, called ‘Leilani Lodge’.

In the late 1980s, Cummings spent millions of dollars purchasing racehorses, much of the money spent on behalf of a tax minimization syndicate. Unfortunately, like many other trainers Cummings was hit hard by the recession of the early 1990s. With help from Reg Inglis’ organization, however, he was able to avoid certain bankruptcy and continue training.

On 11 December 1991, Bart Cummings was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. He was also an inaugural inductee into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. He was made a member of the Order of Australia in 1982 for his services to the racing industry. In 2007, Australia Post placed his image on a postage stamp as part of its Australian Legends series.

So far, Cummings has achieved 250 Group 1 victories, and 690 Stakes victories. He has won the Golden Slipper Stakes four times, and the Newmarket Handicap eight times.

[edit] Honours

In May 2008 Racing NSW announced a new horse racing award to be known as The Bart Cummings Medal which will be awarded for ‘consistent, outstanding performances amongst jockeys and trainers at New South Wales metropolitan race meetings through the racing season.’[1]

[edit] Melbourne Cup winners

Cummings has won twelve Melbourne Cups with eleven winners:

* Light Fingers (1965)
* Galilee (1966)
* Red Handed (1967)
* Think Big (1974 & 1975)
* Gold and Black (1977)
* Hyperno (1979)
* Kingston Rule (1990)
* Let’s Elope (1991)
* Saintly (1996)
* Rogan Josh (1999)
* Viewed (2008)

Cummings’ Melbourne Cup trophies are on display at the Australian Racing Museum in Federation Square, in Melbourne.

In 1965, 1966, 1974, 1975, and 1991, Cummings trained both the first and second place winners in the Melbourne Cup.

The majority of men are interested in their ride and are drawn to mechanical things.  So, if you’re searching high and low for the perfect, unique Christmas gift for that special guy, one great option is a car portrait of his special object of affection.

Some men long for cars that they aren’t able to purchase, the quickest, the most gorgeous, the most lavish, simply the best, autos that are being talked about as ‘super cars’. If you’re shopping for a man for Christmas who doesn’t own a super car but would love to, you can provide him with his dream through a car portrait of one of these amazing cars.
It seems what is so appealing about some of these unfeasible cars includes a list with several factors, according to a recent survey.

1. The look of the car.

Men are visual creatures. Some feel attraction that is based only on looks. Therefore some man think that a particular car is desirable only cause of its eye appeal.

2. Personal fantasy.

Man or woman, all of us like to dream. In our fantasies one can be anything and possess anything. Fantasies are very powerful. This is why we desire something so badly. In our conscious mind, we want it. So when searching for the perfect Christmas present for a man in your life, you can fulfill a fantasy on some level with a car portrait of his dream car.

3. Status in life.

Societal status is one of the primary human requirements. Societal status links directly to power. If one has something to be proud of, like a nice car, their status increases.

These are the 3 main reasons men love cars. Guys like something that has eye appeal, like to dream and want to increase our societal status, which is an indicator of masculinity. If you have a man in your life that gets woozy over cars, his or a dream car, it would be hard to find a better Christmas gift than a car portrait.

There are many people who consider their pet to be an important family member. One of the gift ideas for Christmas for pet owners, that would never be forgotten, is a custom pet portrait reproduced from a favorite photo.

Each pet, or family member if you will, has distinct characteristics that sets them apart form others. These characteristics, such as a certain light in the eyes, an expression of love, a way they hold themselves, is an endearing quality to the pet owner. Capturing these qualities in a custom pet portrait to present as a Christmas gift will be the most prized present of the season.

Besides being one of the most unique gift ideas for Christmas, a custom pet portrait is a gorgeous piece of art work. Beautiful art brings a warmth and charm to any home, and when you couple that with the fact that it is a custom pet portrait, one has a meaningful addition to their décor.

When one is searching for perfect gift ideas for Christmas for pet owners it can become discouraging. All of the stores and merchants in Sydney, Melbourne, or in between, seem to carry the same old, repetitive Christmas gifts like collars, beds and toys. A truly meaningful and special Christmas present doesn’t have to be difficult when you consider giving a custom pet portrait reproduced from a favorite photograph.

This Christmas gift idea for pet owners is affordable and offers the nerve calming addition of a 45-day 100% money back guarantee. I’m quite sure the custom rhinestone studded, boring collar you were considering for a Christmas gift for ‘Fluffy’s” owner would not offer the same guarantee. Besides, ‘Fluffy’ probably has several collars.

That leads us back to the personal gift ideas for Christmas for pet owners. Nothing for this family member, that one could give as a gift, will be as cherished as a custom pet portrait from one of our talented artists.

He is a good example of a client who sent in a photo…a gift for a friend. The original photo was great…however, the background needed a bit of a makeover. We took the original photo and painted it with a new, more vibrant background.

As you can see, the result adds more colour and feel to the final portrait.

There are unlimited possibilities to what you may add to your portrait background. Choose from sports, holiday destinations, loved ones, family homes, pets and birthday ideas.

For more information, please visit our portrait page here

 We have painted backgrounds with racetracks, romantic destinations, favourite cities and pets.

The process is simple, fast and affordable.

Simply send us the photos you wish to merge; send instructions on how you would the pictures to be blended…our team will send you back a photoshopped image of how the painting will look.

When you are happy we accept a 20% deposit….and start the portrait…in about 10 – 14 days we will send you a finished email image for your inspection and approval.

We only need a 20% deposit because we are extremely confident in the ability of our artists to paint amazing portraits from photos!

Watch me, a really bad video production person, show you how to capture your really incredible moments!

If you have ever wanted an original oil painting portrait hand painted from a photo it’s now cheaper and easier than ever.

We have introduced the 20% deposit method! To start all you need is 20% of the final price.

Simply visit our ‘Easy Order Page’ and start your portrait with a 20% deposit. WE ARE SO CONFIDENT OF THE ARTISTS’ ABILITY that we take on all the risk...you just have to sit back and watch as your photo is transformed into an amazing hand painted portrait on canvas. It’s simply the easiest way we have to get people started… instead of the customer paying full price for a portrait they have not seen!

Check out this quick video I made which goes through an example of ordering a portrait from our new ‘Easy Order Page’. To visit the portrait page click here

(As you can see I’m not the best video production person – but I’m sure you’ll see the basics..) I’m too good at video production but I guarantee the portrait you receive from our artists will AMAZE YOU! That’s something I’m very confident with, hence the new 20% deposit start…check it out below.. (remember, we don’t ask for the balance until you are 100% happy and you are free to make any changes before we send you the final product.)