This is the photo we sent Bruce. Look below to see Bruce’s work.

I have written about our Warrior Bunny, Reggie. He is funny, mischievous a little pushy at times but we love his spirit. Almost a month ago, we had a scare. Reggie came down with something. He stopped eating, and started losing weight. He became lethargic. So we took him to his vet, Dr. Riddle. He got an injection of antibiotics and an additional 7 day supply of antibiotics to take home. It took almost 7 days before we saw that he was making a recovery but he is doing awesome now and from this experience he has become more affectionate and sweet. He will come up to me and ask me to pet him. if he is in his little hiding place under his chair and I need to see him,  I call him and he comes out so I can pet him. This experience brought us closer together. I realized then I wanted to get a portrait done of him. I have never been able to paint or draw rabbits but when my husband’s Friend, Bruce Hilvitz, who is a very talented artist donated a pet portrait for the yearly Humane Society of the North Bay’s Barkitecture,  I asked Bruce to make a portrait of Reggie. It was an easy process. We sent Bruce a hi-resolution photo of Reggie and he sent us back a digital file of Reggie within the week. It was really fast. He really captured Reggie’s essence. As I am looking at Reggie’s portrait, these questions about Bruce’s art started flooded in my mind.  How did he develop his style? Does he believe he has to suffer for his art? So I decided to ask the artist himself. Here is a short interview I did with Bruce:

Did you take formal art classes?

Bruce: One month in art school was all I could muster. Back in those days, where I was, there wasn’t any respect for cartooning in art school.  Although, I did grow up within an arts community, via my Mother, so way before High school, I had experience in virtually all disciplines of art. 

What was the defining moment when you realized you wanted to pursue your art as a career?

Bruce: I can’t recall one, per se…I’ve always drawn, played with paints, clay, whatever was handy at the moment.  I’ve always relied on visuals, be it art, toys, cars, buildings…anything that I enjoyed looking at.

How do you describe your art?

Bruce: My art and career has been based on comic art mostly.  Something I’ve been drawn to my whole life (no pun intended).  It can run the gamut since I’ve had to learn to wear many “hats” in order to make a living … comics don’t pay very well, and they are time consuming. Illustrations a bit better, general graphic design, hourly, is the best.  Special projects, here and there are also nice when there’s that opportunity…like book design, and editing, limited edition print production. 

What artists influenced you when you were developing your style?

Bruce: Early on I was weened on MAD Magazine, of course…guys like Basil Wolverton, Jack Davis, Wil Elder, Harvey Kurtzman. I had a very short lived love affair with super hero stuff…I appreciate that stuff more now, than I did then…but my true love came to light when I first laid eyes on a Robert Crumb comic, and it finally struck me with the thought that ANYTHING is possible. And so it is.

How would you describe the medium you work in?

Bruce: These days it all seems to be based on digital technology.  I sometimes start with a regular ‘ol drawing that I scan then work out color or details in a vector based program, usually Flash or Illustrator. I don’t draw “on paper” as much as I really should, digital art doesn’t have the tactual satisfaction that paper does…no originals to really drool over. You can see who has “chops” when you see an original drawing on stiff white bristol board.

Do you agree you have to suffer for your art?

Bruce: No, but it helps. Truthfully it’s a tough profession, if you are not willing to sacrifice common things in life, then you better think of something else to do.

When did you decide to start doing pet portraits?

Bruce: I started this past holiday season…I live in a neighborhood with many, many dogs, I figured someone might be interested…just another “hat” to wear.

Do you have any animal companions?

Bruce: The best dog on earth…a reformed runaway name Aristotle. A black Pekingese, only an Anti-Pekingese…he doesn’t bark, maybe twice a year, if that…he does sneeze, and fart a lot though…I can’t blame him, he’s in the neighborhood of 14 (years).

This Is Bruce’s pride and Joy, Aristotle.

Any advice for aspiring artists?

Bruce: Don’t do it!!! no…just learn, work hard, be honest with yourself…  The best advice I try to follow, not sure who said it, in the lines of… “Do art as if your parents are dead.”

Can you expand on that philosophy- ”Do art as if your parents are dead.”

My interpretation is ‘don’t be afraid of what other people think…just do it.’ Criticism, and especially self-criticism, is the death nell of art. Even though it’s hard to avoid, or listen to.

For anyone interested in having you create a portrait for their pets how can they contact you?

Bruce: Easy as going to my site…

www.flatwurks.com

Bruce captured Reggie’s essence.

German Shepard Portrait Tattoo done by Sean Ambrose at Arrows and Embers Custom Tattooing

If you missed the news on Miss Ellie’s passing the blog post is HERE

We also brought our new kindred spirit into the home with Billy a beautiful soul who is learning slowly to trust again after such a traumatic start to his life. He is so funny how he bravely barks at every new person that comes into his life but makes sure he keeps his distance.

You can learn more about Billy’s arrival in the blog post HERE

I was excited to announce a new range to Rainbow farm photography during March which was the Wall and Door Murals.

I love them they are so big and beautiful and a great way to decorate a big area or even a small area like a toilet or bathroom wall.

you can find out more about the Wall and Door murals in the blog post HERE

In March I also got to babysit my friends BIG sooky german shepherd Jersey

She is such a loveable soul but she had young Billy put in his place. They loved playing together and going for walks in the bush it was the only time that Billy would leave my side was with Jersey.

They had many adventures in the time she was with us the most traumatic being when Jersey decided if her mum wasn’t going to come get her she was going to go find her mum and took Billy along with her. I came home with the rainbow farm kids late one afternoon and they had got out through the fence and taken off and as it was nearly dark after a hour of searching we had to go through a worrying night of not knowing where they were.

Jersey is not a young dog and I worried she would not make a long walk and it was a cold night and then I worried that if someone did find them Billy would not go to anyone and would be so scared.

Luckily in the morning I was able to track down where they were and I had been right that Billy had been so scared that the man that found him took him straight to the ranger and Jersey was kept with the people and they took her back to her mum’s place which ofcourse was empty.

I collected them after a hefty jail fee for Billy and bought a chain for Jersey to keep her home when we went out .. they were fine when we were home but went looking when not home.

Jersey is happily back with her mum now and my Dad has been round and fixed the fences. Billy is happy to stay close to me again and doesn’t venture far.

We had some stunning sunrises during March also a few rainy days where there wasn’t a sunrise which I always feel a bit sad about.

Here is a snap shot of all the favorite sunrises for March

Loving being busy and enjoying the wonderful healing and inspiring power of nature and being able to bring it to you to have in your world to forever energize you and your family.

Make sure you come and check out all the excitement that April is going to bring over at my facebook page

Rainbow Farm Photography Facebook Page

How was your March?? What exciting things happened to you?

Have you heard the line, “animals are people too?”  Well, they’re not however, according to family therapists, pets do play important and vital roles in their owners lives.  Pets can ease the burden of loss, warm our hearts and feet, as well as keep our mindfulness skills sharp too.  An example is this excerpt from an article from Psychology Today’s website.

“He (dog) doesn’t ruminate about the past. He doesn’t worry about the future.  Sure, he’s experienced fear, like when our vet comes at him with the otoscope to look in his ears. But once the moment has passed, he doesn’t harbor resentment toward her, nor does he live in fear of their next encounter. And, his attention to the present moment isn’t distracted by negative self-talk, such as, “I’m wasting my life lying at the front window all day.” 

Wouldn’t this be a great way to live stress free? 

As a professional portrait photographer I find myself in downtown Austin quite a bit and I notice that there are A LOT of animal lovers here and we are excited to honor these amazing relationships with our inaugural Beautiful Pet Portrait Contest benefiting the Austin Humane Society.  Our portrait studio maybe known for family portraits but we feel that pets are family too and they deserve their moment in the sun! 

This contest is open to all pets and their families.  Only portraits of the pets themselves are eligible for the contest however, we will also take portraits of owners and pets together.  The contest begins TODAY!  April 2nd and ends on April 30th.  Voting ends on May 15th and the three pets with the highest number of votes will win prizes from local pet shops, boutiques, groomers and other pet related products and services.  There is a $25.00 entry fee per pet that will be donated to The Austin Humane Society located on Anderson Lane.   Call us today to book your session @ 5121-997-7429!  There is no obligation to purchase anything additional for contest entry.  All images will be made available for purchase if client wishes to do so. 

See the difference, feel the difference, be the difference.

Charles

PS – The beautiful little guy above is one of several loving animals at the Austin Humane Society!  They were kind enough to let us go in and take some amazing portraits for them. 

It will be a 60min Photo Shoot with your Pets, dogs, cats, horses all are very welcome,
or just for you and your family.
Sessions will be held outdoors in woods or parks for dogs,
at your home for cats and family shoots will be on location.

What you get:

7.5” x 5.5” print of your choice
£10 of the Photo Shoot will go to the HULA Animal Rescue
Up to 30 images presented in a private password protected online gallery,
ready for you to order as high quality prints and canvases.

Once bought the Photo Shoot is valid for 12 month.
Vouchers will be available from the HULA Animal Rescue Centre and can be bought direct from me.

* Up to 2 Dogs.
* Prints, products and digital files are not included.

How it works:

You just need to send me an email with all your questions and wishes.
Once you are happy that I am the right person for the photo shoot you just need to pay for the shoot to secure it.
You can pay via Paypal, bank transfer or cheque.

Fundraising Photo Shoot Special for HULA Animal Rescue

© 2012 Bridget Davey – Professional Pet Photography

Bridget Davey Photography

In and around Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Beds, Bucks and Herts.

All rights reserved.
Do not use any of my images without permission.

“Ripley, Murphy, O.G., Veda and Missy Kitty”, pastel © B.E. Kazmarski

I’ve discussed plenty of portraits here but for the most part you’ve only seen finished works, and not seen how I actually put a portrait together, start to finish. I had prepared the presentation of this portrait, painted in 1998, for my original website and it’s a good example of a pretty complicated portrait with several subjects and a scenic background, plus it’s five rescued cats, what could be better?

The process is different for each portrait depending on what’s needed, and this portrait needed just about all the tricks I have in my little bag. I had the opportunity to visit their home and meet each one of them, and so spent about two hours talking to their mom about each one of them and following them around, photographing them in their habitat and with their habits even though their mom also had plenty of photos.

Being able to photograph them myself gives me the best visual information—after all, would you photograph just your cat’s tail anticipating that someday you might need that photograph? I can do that if I feel I need it.

Their mom adopted each of them individually either from shelters or from rescues, so each had a story that added to what I gathered about their personalities. We talked about where the portrait might be hung to help determine size and certain elements of the design, but she left the details up to me.

Depending on the complexity of the portrait and how many photographs I have to combine to get the scene, I may simply begin the drawing with no preliminaries or will create a pencil sketch to size. However, it’s a rarity that I don’t combine fewer than three pictures, and for this one I lost count of the number of pictures I combined. I used to have to sketch it out, even enlarging and cutting and pasting on a copier but now I use PhotoShop, scan the photos or use the digitals provided and combine them into a final finished composite.

For this portrait, I created two composites which I liked equally, and so did my client, but in the end the spot over the fireplace made the decision for the long narrow format. Each of the subjects is a composite of at least two photographs for face, paws, tail, eyes, ears, etc. I had an idea to use the bay window with windowseat for them all because the light was so beautiful and each of them visited this spot regularly, plus I enjoy painting architectural details.

So I made a composite image of each cat, then combined each of the individual composites, added the window in the background with enough of the windowseat included for placement, and sent it off to my client for approval—on paper.

A composite like this also means I have to equalize the lighting, make up shadows and highlights and the lay of the fur when I get down to the final drawing and when designing the posture and setting, which can be tricky but also one of the ways my cats have earned their living as I model them into the pose and lighting I need…sort of.

I always try to place the subjects against a background area which will complement their looks. But it’s not all about their looks—in combining multiples like this, I try to pair together animals which are friendly with each other and keep the “enemies” far apart.

When I began work, I enlarged the composite to the actual size of the finished drawing, printed it out, covered the back with a dark shade of pastel, and transferred it onto my drawing paper, which is an archival quality, 600-grit sanded paper.

After generally filling in the actual colors in the drawing and checking to make sure that everything was in proportion and in proper perspective, I was ready to work the actual drawing at my easel, with all the reference photos near.

I usually work the background first, then work one subject at a time, keeping the whole work at about the same level of detail. I may go over a portrait three or four times this way, each time working more color and detail into the work. In this case, because the window is a large portion of the work, I wanted to make certain all the structure and detail of it wouldn’t compete with the subjects, so I left it with less detail and color than the subjects and the surface they’re resting on.

The final pass adds the highlights in the fur, the whiskers and the sparkles in the eyes. When they look back at me from the drawing, I know it’s done. But it’s not really done until my client reviews it to make sure I’ve gotten everything right—after all, they are your companions, and I’d be just as fussy about mine. In this case, Veda was just not right—she’s a very tiny, slender cat, but shy, and the only clear picture I had gotten of her was of her hunched up a little scared under a table. Even though the image was accurate, it just wasn’t Veda, so my client sent me a few more photos of just her and I reworked that area. Since I had to slim her down and make her a little taller, and Veda is primarily black against a pale background, I had to actually lift quite a bit of pastel off of the paper and start over in some areas. If you compare the finished portrait at the beginning of this article with the sketch below, you’ll see the difference in Veda’s image.

Working With My Customers

In the end, any portrait means I work closely with my customer, often at an emotionally difficult time, and we’ve found this can actually help with grief. I can stop at any point if it’s too painful, or carry on if it’s working well. I’ve developed lasting friendships with many portrait customers, even long distance, hearing about new adoptions and losses, and several have returned for another portrait. It’s the part of this process I enjoy almost as much as creating a piece of artwork.

Take a look at other portraits and read other stories

Read articles here on The Creative Cat featuring current and past commissioned portraits.

Read about how I create commissioned portraits.

Visit my website to see portraits of my cats, commissioned cats, commissioned dogs, people and a demonstration of how I put a portrait together from photos.

Download a Brochure

My brochure is an 8.5″ x 11″ two-page full-color PDF that half-folds when it’s all printed out, showing examples of portraits with an explanation of my process and basic costs.

Purchase a Gift Certificate

I offer gift certificates for portraits in any denomination beginning at $125.00, which is the basic cost of a portrait; the recipient is responsible for any amount the portrait costs over $125.00.

The certificate itself is 8.5″ x 11″ and features a collage of portrait images with the recipient’s and giver’s names, printed on parchment cover stock. The whole thing is packaged in a pocket folder and includes a brochure, a letter from me to the recipient and several business cards.The certificate package can be easily mailed or wrapped as a gift and shipped directly to your recipient.

I can also make it downloadable if you’re in a hurry.

Portrait certificates are a minimum of $125.00 because that is the minimum cost of a portrait.

Certificates are good for up to one year after issue.

You can purchase gift certificates on The Creative Cat, on my main website, or from my Etsy shop if you are also purchasing other animal-inspired merchandise.

Subscribe to My E-newsletter

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.

Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

Inspired by felines you know! Visit Portraits of Animals on Etsy.

Gifts Featuring Cats You Know

And trust me they all have so much love to give

………………………………………………………………………..

Danny

………………………………………………………………………..

Dudley

………………………………………………………………………..

Wilson

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Jet

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Ruby

So if one of these wonderful dogs stole your heart please contact HULA and come by.

Thank you for sharing!

For more information about the small animals please contact HULA.

HULA Animal Rescue

© 2012 Bridget Davey – Professional Pet Photography

Bridget Davey Photography

In and around Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Beds, Bucks and Herts.

All rights reserved.
Do not use any of my images without permission.

Commissioned Pet Portrait

Look at what I found on Etsy today…an “Original Pet Portrait Illustration” .

Before I give my thoughts, here’s what the seller has to say about it:

Do you love your pet?
get an original portrait illustrated by (Illustrator’s name edited)
I will illustrate any type of pet. Please look at the samples. 
Will be drawn on a 8.5in x 11in bienfang gridded paper 
the lines one the bienfang gridded paper are blue instead of gray. 
Once you place you order I will email you asking for a good head shot portrait photo of your pet. 
The bigger the better so that I can get every detail.

I’m sorry, but who in their right mind would buy this?

Why is that cat’s head on a horribly drawn body with a very ill fitting bikini top? Why are the breasts drawn so far apart? Is the cat an alley cat that hooks in the wee hours of the evening while the owner is asleep?

I don’t know about the rest of you, but the whole graph paper thing is a giant no-go for me. Does it really even matter if the lines are blue or gray? Is the paper really going to be three hole punched like that? If so, are you supposed to put it in a binder and carry it around instead of displaying it? (Why would you display this anyway?)

Cat owners…apparently, you are a large market…so, would any of you actually purchase this?  I’m going to assume no…but if I am wrong, please let me know, and please explain yourself so I can attempt to understand this.

This retails for $20.00, and it even comes with a “surprise drawing as a free gift“.  (God knows what the hell that could be of.) The seller also states she has 18 in stock.  Now, didn’t she say she would do a drawing of your pet for you? Maybe one of those other 18 is the free gift you’ll be getting! Just what you need…two of these!

Original Pet Portrait Illustration…That’s Shitsy!

____________________________________________________

***It’s Abode or Commode Time!!****

Do you think this is home worthy or should it go straight in the shitter? Cast your vote and leave your comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

I rule the house…any questions?

Mirror, mirror on the floor…
Lu Lu loves to fancy herself at dinner time!

I met Charlie and his Dog Walker for a Mini Photo Shoot
in one of the wonderful Parks in Leighton Buzzard.
Charlie is a 6 years old Corgi and just does what he wants.
Lucky I had my bag filled with tasty treats so I could made him pose for me,
well at least for a while.

Its sometimes a challenge to get the shot, but that’s why I love my job. It’s never the same.
And when I saw the big smile in Charlie’s mum’s face as she saw the photos, I was more then happy.

If you are looking to have some wonderful and natural photos of your dog
please check out my website.

Bridget Davey|Pet Photography Leighton Buzzard

Mini Pet Photo Shoots are only £25 and come with a free 7×5 print.
They are available in Leighton Buzzard and Woburn only and will last around 30min.

All my sessions are held outside in parks and woodland or
 we can explore your town or even join both together.
I have a list of lovely locations suited for all dogs, all ages and sizes.

Want to know more? Just contact me and I will answer all your questions!
I am looking forward hearing from you and meeting you and your pet.

© 2013 Bridget Davey Photography

Pet Lifestyle Photography

In and around Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Beds, Bucks and Herts.

All rights reserved. Do not use any of my images without permission.

A up to 60min Photo Shoot you and your family and your pets.
Sessions will be held outdoors in a park near you, exploring the woods or your home and garden.
I can recommend a a wide range of wonderful places for the shoot.

The Voucher Includes:

A free 7.5” x 5.5” print of your choice.
Up to 30 images presented in a private password protected online gallery,
ready for you to order as high quality prints and canvases.
The photographers talent & Professional editing of your images.

* Prints, products and digital files are not included.

How it works.

You just need to send me an email with all your questions and wishes.
Once you are happy that I am the right person for the photo shoot
you just need to pay for the shoot to secure it.
You can pay via Paypal, bank transfer or cheque.

Once bought the Photo Shoot is valid throughout the year.
Gift Vouchers are also available!

“Lassie”, pastel on prepared board, 23″ x 16″, 2009 © B.E. Kazmarski

The two main reasons I decided to go ahead and start pet blogging was to give myself another place to share my writing, and an easier, more interactive way to share my artwork, especially commissioned portraits. I was working on Lassie’s portrait when I initiated The Creative Cat, so she was the very first portrait-in-progress I featured just about four years ago. From the time I was little I loved this breed, not really because of the TV show “Lassie”—that was in black and white and a tiny image and even then I wasn’t a TV watcher—no, even better, a neighbor had two lovely, friendly collies, and I could never get enough of petting all that silky hair and running my hand down those long narrow noses, and getting face licks.

Lassie was with her mom for 15 years and had just passed when her mom first called me. She was in nursing school and would graduate in the spring, and would like Lassie’s portrait for her graduation when family would be in town. A very special collie I could see by her photos, the two of them side by side from childhood, into the college years and off to a new city.

Her person knew all the details of Lassie’s personality that were most important to her, but most important was Lassie’s head tilt, and that certain knowing expression of communication were most important. This face is the expressive, intelligent face her mom always remembered, when Lassie knew just what she was thinking.

Lassie’s mom decided she wanted to remember Lassie in the outdoors so the portrait would have a scenic background, and its final shape would be determined by the scene. She didn’t have a photo of a favorite place, but they both enjoyed visiting parks and trails, not at all an uncommon request for a canine portrait. From looking over the photos I was provided I could see that I had plenty of photos of places like the ones they’d visited. I began designing with autumn backgrounds; colorful and familiar, they are very popular in canine portraits and I’ve added my autumn scenes to several other dog portraits (see Cassie and Tyler, for instance).

However, Lassie kept blending into the background colors because her fur is primarily amber to brown, the same as the leaves we see, so I chose a late summer background of a rocky little stream and a row of trees in the background. The deep green of late summer grass shows off her fur to perfection and the glow of evening sun warms the scene. There was originally a tree in the near background, but I needed to get a little more detail on Lassie before I could find the best placement for the it so it won’t be distracting, and in the end we decided to leave it out.

Painting portraits of animals is fulfilling and enjoyable, but my other favorite subject is my local landscapes, the trails and woods and fields I’ve wandered since I was a child. Not only have I worked for years to learn my palette and techniques for fur and wet noses and the specifics of feline and canine eye color, but also for the trees and grass and rocks and water and even the quality of sunlight of my familiar surroundings here in western Pennsylvania. Here was a painting that would be exciting in both respects, a landscape, and an animal.

But whether the background be autumn leaves or summer sun or snow or a grassy field, it still had to work as the backdrop to Lassie, and to the memories her human had of the times they’d spent together.

Here is a detail of the strip of woods from the top of the painting.

I thought I’d include a progress photo where the background is half done, moving from left to right, and Lassie will need her last details done, but that will be after the background is completed. Working in pastel, the colors dust over each other, especially with heavy coverage like this background and the contrasting colors.

In addition, here are two detail areas that I particularly like, the rocks on the left, and the rocks and grass on the right; while the evening sun shone across at a low angle, the clear blue sky reflected blue straight down onto the wet rocks and rippling water.

While the original portrait may look completely detailed in Lassie and in the landscape, a close-up look shows that many of the details are literally sketchy, just soft indications of light and shadow that when viewed together appear as they should.

By “prepared board” I mean one of the drawing surfaces I’d prepared myself on illustration board. I typically use a heavy paper that has a surface of fine grit applied much like sandpaper. In some cases I use heavy drawing paper or illustration board and apply one of the preparations I have on hand, various coarseness of grit sometimes mixed with gesso for texture or a pigment to give it color.

In this case it’s a more textured surface where I mixed the grit with gesso and blue drawing ink so it was tinted sky blue and brushed it on in horizontal strokes. You can see the strokes in some of the detail shots.

I often use a complementary color beneath a heavy coverage of another color, or to complement the overall tone of a painting. Pastel, like most media, is not entirely opaque, and the eye can perceive layers of color in a painting and mingle them in the same way it mingles the tiny dots in offset printing or in digital printing. If you look at blue and yellow separately they are simply individual colors, but if you put them side by side you can see that each color looks richer, brighter and darker or lighter than you originally perceived just by the visual influence of the other color. When my first portraits and paintings looked nice but kind of lifeless I suddenly understood what I’d learned about underpainting and gave it a try with the very next thing I painted in pastel, and that was indeed the final touch to giving life to one of my animal subjects. Layering the color complement underneath in this way gives the portrait more depth and dimension. Because this portrait is primarily in warm yellowish tones I used the complementary shade of blue to enliven all that yellow and yellow green, and the amber and orange tones in Lassie’s fur.

Take a look at other portraits and read other stories

Read articles here on The Creative Cat featuring current and past commissioned portraits.

Read about how I create commissioned portraits.

Visit my website to see portraits of my cats, commissioned cats, commissioned dogs, people and a demonstration of how I put a portrait together from photos.

Download a Brochure

My brochure is an 8.5″ x 11″ two-page full-color PDF that half-folds when it’s all printed out, showing examples of portraits with an explanation of my process and basic costs.

Purchase a Gift Certificate

I offer gift certificates for portraits in any denomination beginning at $125.00, which is the basic cost of a portrait; the recipient is responsible for any amount the portrait costs over $125.00.

The certificate itself is 8.5″ x 11″ and features a collage of portrait images with the recipient’s and giver’s names, printed on parchment cover stock. The whole thing is packaged in a pocket folder and includes a brochure, a letter from me to the recipient and several business cards.The certificate package can be easily mailed or wrapped as a gift and shipped directly to your recipient.

I can also make it downloadable if you’re in a hurry.

Portrait certificates are a minimum of $125.00 because that is the minimum cost of a portrait.

Certificates are good for up to one year after issue.

You can purchase gift certificates on The Creative Cat, on my main website, or from my Etsy shop if you are also purchasing other animal-inspired merchandise.

Subscribe to My E-newsletter

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, check my Etsy shop or Fine Art America profile to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit Ordering Custom Artwork for more information on a custom greeting card, print or other item.

Browse some rescued cats and kittens!

Inspired by felines you know! Visit Portraits of Animals on Etsy.

Gifts Featuring Cats You Know

It’s going to take a while to get Heather back in top form so she has decided to keep a diary of her time with HULA. Heather’s Story

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If you are looking to have some wonderful and natural photos of your cat please check out my website.

For any more details please contact me and I am happy to answer all your questions.

© 2013 Bridget Davey Photography

Pet Lifestyle Photography

In and around Leighton Buzzard, Milton Keynes, Beds, Bucks and Herts.

All rights reserved. Do not use any of my images without permission.

Regardless of whether it is a cat or a pet or whatever animal species that you prefer, we usually want to share encounters with them. With pet portraits, every single detail of your pet is remade to existence by oil and canvas. Artists have many designs in painting which you can decide on from. Some could offer you Warhol type which has been created common in 1998 as recognition to Andy Warhol, other individuals might supply painterly style via the medium of watercolor.

The very best point about Custom Dog Portrait is that they are really individualized and can be custom-made. You may request photograph to paint manner in which the artist would just want to copy the picture of your pet although you may possibly also request for true state of affairs portray or select the history of the painting that you may uncover appropriate.

Oil in canvas or watercolor portray, what ever the design or the medium that you may choose, it is then manufactured a lot more long-long lasting with a frame tailored according to your preference. You may inquire the support service provider to do the framing for you whilst some may leave the selection to you as they locate it a personal preference. If they can do it for you, why just take the hassle. In addition to, you are ensured that they only use frames of the greatest high quality to in shape your painting.

We owe a lot of the happiness we get to our pets and it is owing that we give them price by a basic indicates like pet portraits. A fantastic arts portray can make a great deal of variation when it arrives to originality and capturing the spark or spirit of each and every minute that you cherish.

Make it individual and rejoice every single second you have with your pet. Cherish every single moment with pet portraits but select the artist that could make this experience enjoyable.

A custom pet portrait will maintain a particular place in the heart of the particular person who receives it. It is a loving present that will create recollections to very last a life time. No matter whether it is of a current pet or of one particular who has passed away, a customized pet portrait can be given as a distinctive present to commemorate any event.

Special Reward Ideas Commissioning a customized pet portrait is a fantastic birthday present idea and would make a exclusive Christmas present. Something with the unique that means that is enclosed in a pet portrait would even operate for more compact occasions such as a housewarming gift. If someone you care about have a considerably-loved pet in their lives, it might be worth the hard work and cost to have an oil painting made from a photo of that pet.

Painting from a Photo Virtually any pet picture is able to be translated into an oil painting. A easy snapshot may be good sufficient, but be positive that it is clear and does not have a lot of history interruptions. An additional thought would be to have a specialist photograph taken and use that for the oil portray portrait.

Whilst a lot of artists are capable of rendering an oil painting from a photo, its important to choose an artist who is nicely-verse in painting animals. An oil painting on canvas is capable to be developed by several artists even so, there are many artists who specialize especially in custom made pet portraits. A specialist painter whose specialty is painting animals will be capable to seize the accurate likeness, expressions and persona of a considerably-loved pet. This is critical as a custom made pet portrait will be cherished for numerous many years by the individual who gets it.

Add Spice to your Gift As part of a wonderful Christmas gift concept, an artist might be in a position to manipulate the track record and incorporate seasonal components these kinds of as a tree or themed decorations or even incorporate specialty things to the pet by itself, this sort of as a tiny hat. Prior to picking a distinct artist to render an oil portray from a photograph of a pet, consider a seem at their portfolio of perform to see what else they have accomplished and how you feel it has turned out.

Cherish each and every instant with but choose the artist that could make this encounter fulfilling.

Hello all. I’ve been so very behind with blogging lately. Its been a busy time! I just wanted to share a bunch of photos before I take off for a little break this week. Here’s what I’ve been up to lately…

maiden hair fern

chest wreath, in progress. Purple is stencil, not tattooed yet. this is SO FUN.

very red hazelnut branch. super excited to see this healed up.

constellation and golden rectangle

moth on eloise!!!

cover up in progress. bye old dragon tattoo!

black and grey poppy on Lauren. Thanks Lauren!

Finally got to finish Tarah’s pet arm!

Finally got healed pictures of this piece as well. Ship with lace border, clover and lilac. MORE LIKE THIS PLEASE!

Adams fly on an old friend.

black and grey horse on Clayton. More like this please!!!

This piece is SO FUN and on such a lovely lady! Merlin bird of prey with geometric designs, holding a braid in its claws. Also, a little Bruce Springsteen shout out. I rreeeeeaaaalllly want to do more work with these kind of elements.

progress on Leeann’s pacific northwest cover up. Leeann is such a champ!

film strip on Scott. Scott makes movies and gets cool tattoos.

Portland themed tattoo. I am so excited about this, can’t wait to work on it more. Portland skyline, chanterelle, sword fern, and roses.

paint nights at Icon

Hey, I painted something (sailor jerry, not mine) I am always interested in tattooing stuff like this. Just sayin’.

I started this tattoo last night and it is my last work before vacation! Anita is lovely and brought me a bottle of wine. Thanks Anita!

Been working on a collaboration with Studio Olivine. Stay tuned for some kick ass art from Julie and I.

Also, so many day adventures and sweet home times.

scrabble cat

home

first trillium I saw this year!

Ashley took me to the ballet.

saddle mountain.

as many gorge hikes as possible!

Ok bye guys!!! I’ll be sure to post some pictures from MEXICO in my next post. Happy spring! 

Memories

Description :

Seeing this card this morning it brings up lots of different emotions and areas of what memories mean to me.

My passion for photography started with a beautiful memory of part of my life and family when I was a single woman living alone with my beautiful Husky Misty by my side. Way back then it was the start of the internet and digital camera I being low on cash thought that getting one of those fancy little gadgets that took photos and doubled as a web cam was a great idea.

My first photo good photo was of Misty … I loved that dog and still do she is long gone now but will forever be in my memory and because of my new found passion I have many photos of her to remember her by.

I urge everyone to get many photos of their family and friends and fur kids to remember them by and at least once get some professional photos done even of the pets I did get some of Misty done the photographer thought I was crazy but he did it was not thought of much back then to photograph your pets but she was my child and one of my best friends I am so glad I did.

Memories are a beautiful thing but they can also haunt you and keep you back from memories of the beautiful Misty that drifts me through meeting a man and although that was a wonderful time and worthy of remembering it can also and probably still does in a way keep me from moving on because that memory is so deep and was great you can cling to it and think that it was the best memory and now it’s over nothing can compare so why try for something new with someone new but we should it will never compare to what has gone before but it could be wonderfully different and bring a lot of happy new memories .

Using memories where you have moved on like how when Misty went over the rainbow bridge I never thought I would find another kindred soul like her but eventually I was forced by family to bring a beautiful puppy into my memory banks and that was Ellie and I am so glad I did she was beautiful and an amazing kindred spirit.

Now Billy is filling my days with new wonder and laughter he is still a puppy at heart only being around a year old and as he gets his confidence back he is a great soul and a very funny young boy.

The memories card also reminds me of one of my major goals for this year.

To improve my memory.

I have written this goal in my 2013 Incredible Life Journal by Leonie Dawson
And also have it up in my New Years Goals Package
(it’s never to late to start either of those just click on the words to find out more)

I have bit the bullet and paid for membership with the Luminosity website for brain training and although you are playing games it really does highlight how bad I have become at basic things like quick maths and finding words quickly even working on remembering names and orders in a mock café they are fun but really do work the brain .

I want to be able to remember the extra details that photos can’t provide so when I look at that photo of Misty I will remember always that the day before she had run away down the street and I had to chase her into someone’s backyard to get her back ..lol… lovely soul Misty but a husky she knew how to run and not how to get back home.

So when I post a oracle card each day for everyone on my Rainbow Farm Photography Facebook page and when I do indepths readings for you I urge you to read the reading and meaning I give you but also really look at the image and meaning and see what comes up in your own mind to see what each card means for you .. what your memory brings to you that you need to concentrate on and work through you would be surprised how your insight will guide you through to what you need to be working on.

What does this card mean to you ??? Would love to find out how it relates to you and your day

It got off to a funny start as Angela could not find the way and got lost, it was a very funny story how she eventually got to us!

It was a great afternoon and Rushmere Country Park is one of my favourite locations.

Below are a few of my favourite photos