A GUIDE TO PET PORTRAITS BY ARTIST RICHARD RUSSELL

Richard can paint any type pet. He focuses on the head because the larger the head, the better the likeness.  One of the reasons the price is so low is that doing the head takes less time to paint than the head and body combined . He can do the body, but it would cost more. The artist retains the copyright of the painted image. Prints of the original are available on paper or canvas. Simply inquire at 1-866-234-6659 on prices and sizes.

Multiple Pets
Richard can do more than one pet on a single canvas.  The price for each portrait remains the same. More than one portrait on a single canvas would need to be either completely vertical or horizontal. That means the portraits must be side by side or up and down, rather than triangle or four corners. You may do up to three portraits per canvas, without the stretching and shipping price going up. (please refer to the pricing table below).

The Photos You Send
If you are doing more than one pet, Richard can work off different photos. He prefers to work from original photographs. They would be returned with the painting. He can work off pictures sent by e-mail, but the resolution would need to be very high. E-mailed pictures are usually too small for the artist to blow up big enough to see the detail. You may send several pictures of each pet and the artist will pick what he thinks would look best. Keep in mind that he cannot see the pet, so the painting is only as good as the picture you send.  He likes to focus on the eyes, as the eyes are the soul of any creature. So if your picture has red eye, please describe the eye color in detail, or send a separate picture with the eyes only.

Pricing on Stretched Canvas and Shipping Options:  The portraits are done on canvas and painted in acrylic. The basic size for one is 18 x 24 or 20 x 20 inches stretched. The cost is $400 stretched. Stretched means that the canvas is stapled to wooden strips. The paintings are painted down the sides, so if the piece is stretched, it would be suitable to hang right away. Shipping is $35 for one to four stretched at that size and and only $10 for up to four unstretched pieces that size (in continental US only).

Pieces 4 x 5 feet are $1,700 through the month of December 2009. You must call to get a price quote on shipping. We can ship unstretched with or without the strips for only $35. Strips cost $50 extra. We recommend calling a local framer to get prices on having the piece stretched there.