New Year Pet Portraits: Penny the Horse

As the holiday season wraps up, we're thrilled to announce the completion of our Christmas pet portraits at Paw & Glory. All UK-bound pet portraits were posted yesterday, and a last-minute sale of my African Wild Dog piece was shipped today. Hopefully, many people will find joy in their custom pet portraits on Christmas morning.

With the festive rush over, I’m excited to dive into my New Year digital paintings, including a delightful mix of dog portraits, horse portraits, and even a cat portrait. Most are unique pet portraits created using Photoshop, along with a special Jolly Splashes piece. I'm also hoping to secure a few commissions for my new digital acrylic portraits, which are incredibly fun to create.

Penny the Horse: First on the Digital Canvas

First up on my digital canvas is Penny, a stunning chestnut horse. Alongside Penny, I’ll be working on a portrait of a boxer and Fudge the Labrador, both of which have their own blog posts you can check out. Penny’s portrait will measure 14x11 inches. My client saw a portrait of Kuato Star on Facebook and wanted a similar piece for her daughter’s horse. After some consideration, we settled on a composition that excludes the bridle and tack and features Penny’s un-plaited forelock. The portrait will be unframed, as requested by the client.

Discovering New Techniques

In starting Penny’s portrait, I discovered a new color technique in Photoshop that's perfect for rendering ginger horses. Achieving the right color can be tricky, but this new method helps avoid an overly orange tone. With layers and blending, the initial slow stages of the portrait gradually come together, making the process smoother.

Early Stages of Penny’s Digital Portrait

For the initial layers, I’m using a mix of digital brushes and textures to build up the terracotta tones and other hues. For the dark areas, I’m incorporating digital techniques to blend and create depth. As the portrait progresses, I plan to create in-depth tutorials for digital pet paintings in the New Year, including step-by-step guides.

Midway Through Penny’s Portrait

Progress on Penny’s portrait is going well. Removing the bridle from the reference photo was challenging, but with additional reference photos, it’s easier to ensure accuracy. I’m about halfway through and have been in regular contact with my client, making small adjustments as needed.

The client requested that I add and straighten Penny’s forelock and adjust the shoulder placement. We’ve also finalized the background ideas, so the next step is to complete the background with my usual digital painting techniques. I attempted to film a time-lapse of the process but encountered technical difficulties. Hopefully, I'll be able to successfully capture the next attempt.

Conclusion

Choosing a pet portrait artist can be daunting, but with Paw & Glory, you're in expert hands. Our beaituful pet portraits, created using advanced digital techniques in Photoshop, capture the essence of your beloved pets. Whether it's dog portraits, horse portraits, or cat portraits, we bring your pets to life with stunning detail and accuracy. Visit Paw & Glory to commission your unique digital pet portrait today.