Painting a Pretty Picture

I am currently working on a couple of different projects, one a commission and another a gift. The commissioners are my eventual in-laws Lizanne and John. They own Hog and Sauce, home of The Pita-Que in Springfield. It is by far the best barbecue I have ever had. The potato salad is like none you will ever have Matt is working on a commercial for the local business, wrote the jingle and everything. I cannot wait to see how it turns out! Anyway back to the commissioned portrait.

Lizanne and John asked me to do a portrait of their two cats Theo, short for Thelonious Monk, and Tom. Here are the photographs I am working from and a progress snapshot of the portrait. I think I need to make both Tom and Theo a little bit bigger to fill the space. Any thoughts?

Theolonious Monk

Tom

Theo and Tom, Rough Sketch

I had originally advertised custom pet portraits in oil at $60 for an 9"X12". I will stick with this price for the remainder of 2012, but as I have researched pricing a bit more I feel that my paintings are worth more than a measly $60. However, I would still like to be competitive with my pricing... I cannot justify  pricing an 8"X10" at $100. With that said, my paintings will still be a bargain! So, if anyone is interested in a 9"X12" pet portrait at $60 get your orders in before the end of the year. They make lovely Christmas gifts for pet lovers!

Here is an example of what you would be receiving:

Lady

Lady

I am also working on a Christmas gift for Matt. Sometimes he peaks at the blog so I can't talk much about it but he does know it is a drawing, so that I can whisper!