Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I have more than one animal in a portrait? Most definitely. Deanna will take their individual photos and work in Canva to design a digital mockup. It will depend on the resolution of each photo and if the poses complement each other well. The maximum in one portrait is four.
Commissioning a portrait
What do I need to order a commission? You need to have great photos, preferably high resolution digital photos, and decide on the size of the canvas you want. A 50% down payment will also be required at booking. If you prefer monthly payments through Affirm, Deanna will create a special link for you.
Do I need to wait until my pet passes to commission a portrait? Commissioning a pet portrait can be done no matter what stage of life your pet is in. It is all personal preference. Deanna has painted both healthy pets and pets that’ve passed on. It can be healing to have a pet portrait of your fur baby after they pass on. It can also be healing to watch the process of them coming alive on the canvas after they’ve already passed on.
How are Deanna’s paintings different from other portrait paintings? Deanna’s paintings are handmade and one-of-a-kind original made with acrylics. They are painted one brushstroke at a time in the studio. She strives to bring them to life by painting them as realistic as possible; they take up to 80 hours to create. Many clients feel overcome with emotion when looking at their portrait. An important part of the process for Deanna is to pour huge amounts of love into the canvas. She will ask about the pet and get to know their favorite activities and how they interact with their owners. Bringing their personality to the canvas is her number on priority. So when you look at your portrait you can FEEL all the love and soul of the beautiful fur baby. Deanna is a self-taught painter and is beyond passionate about bringing even more love into your home with a realistic pet portrait painting.
Will I work directly with Deanna? Yes! You’ll work with Deanna from start to finish. She enjoys the communication throughout the creative process as much as you do!
How long does a painting take? Depending on the scope of work, paintings range from 45 to 75 hours on average for one furry companion. Once you are next on the waitlist, a portrait will be completed in 1-2 weeks. Each finished painting holds the passion to create art and the practice of letting the art flow from her heart.
Process
What materials does Deanna use? All canvases are archival-quality natural cotton, primed with acid-free titanium acrylic gesso, and wrapped on 1.5” raised wooden frame. She paints with heavy and light body acrylic paint and uses Golden, Liquitex, and Windsor & Newton brands. Her brushes are selected by how the glide and look on the canvas, not after the brand. She sketches with a variety of pencils at the start.
What's Deanna's painting process like? Deanna starts by graphing out each canvas inch by inch. Then, applies smaller graphs to the nose and eyes area to get those areas exact. The eyes are the windows into the soul of the furry companion she's bringing to life on the canvas. She always starts with the eyes during the sketch, as well as the paint portion. She starts each painting with a pencil sketch directly on the canvas before applying paint layer by layer. Typically, she paints the eyes and nose of the pet first to bring the pet to life and secure her vision for the rest of the process.
Pricing
What types of payment do you accept? Deanna uses Zelle, Cashapp, Venmo, or Paypal for the down-payment and final payment. If you prefer to pay via Visa, MasterCard or American Express credit card or a debit card that displays the Visa or MasterCard logo, she will invoice you via PayPal.
Can I make more than 2 payments? Yes! Deanna offers Affirm’s services on her website. If you’d like to pay monthly instead of 2 payments, ask Deanna to create a special link for you before booking.