Creative Artist - Issue 10_

can and ind the perfect one later. I had

a commission to portray two pets in the

one piece. One dog was a natural poser

but the other one was timid and shy. She

spent most of her time hiding behind her

owner’s legs. I kept clicking away and

when I went through the photos later,

I found one which I could Photoshop. I

removed the owner’s legs and placed

the timid dog behind the “show pony” to

create the following portrait.

If I go to the zoo, I am quite prepared to

select one in 1,000 photos. Twenty years

ago, this would not have been possible,

as it would have been far too expensive to

print, but now with digital cameras you can

just keep clicking and ind that one shot

that is pretty close to being perfect.

What makes a good reference?

Obviously, it’s safe to say that diferent

people are drawn to diferent images. What

might inspire me could be seen as totally

uninteresting to many people. What I might

think of as beautiful could freak some

people out, especially with my love of

things like reptiles and spiders. However,

there are things to avoid when you look at

references.

Try to show the animal’s character. If

you wish to do a portrait of an animal or

person, make certain you have as much

information as possible about the eyes.

Putting two pictures together – Millie and Bonnie

Eye colour in background – Close up

TOOLS BY PATRICK HEDGES

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