When I am interested in getting something like this done, I get online and do all the research. I look up the pricing, how long it’s going to take, “Oh look there’s photo tips, great I can see that too.” This way I know what I’m getting myself into. I find it exciting to see a daily progression because I can experience it before it happens. I get to look at it and think, “Ok, this is exciting!  I can get on the site every day and see what is being sent to the customer; this is what I can expect if I have one done.”

Just to be clear, your portrait progression is going to differ slightly because each animal is different. It might take me a little longer or a little less time, but essentially here’s what can be expected if you are going to commission me for a pet portrait. You will receive a picture at the end of each day and you will be able to experience the excitement of looking forward to checking your email each night to see how much farther along the portrait is. “Is it looking more like my dog, cat, bird or bunny?” Then you get to look back through time and see how it progressed.

Often when I send the daily progress it is not at all what the customer was expecting. Some people think it’s going to look like their animal right away, while others think that I work on a separate section each day. Some think that I am going to start with the darker colours and end up doing the highlights last.

Receiving the daily progress photo is both exciting and educational. You, the customer, get to see the process that goes into every stage from, “Wow, look at those eyes! You’re really capturing my pet,” which happens on day one, to “What the heck is this? Does she know what she’s doing? It looks nothing like my pet.” It then it moves on to, “Oh, okay, I can see my pet taking shape,” up until the final day when you say to yourself, “There’s Fluffy!”

I want to create this excitement with you, to give you something to look forward to when you are considering having a portrait done, and to give you an idea as to what creating art and the process behind it is all about. I want you to see every stage; the good, the bad, and the ugly until you see the finished product.

And so, it begins. Here’s day one of my current commission, Penni.