Including pets or not

[Karin Wells]

David...Please forgive me, but my earlier post was too brief and probably not very useful to you beyond my encouragement.

Pets can be difficult but well worth including in a portrait. Below is an example of my (one and only so far) "pet and person portrait."

I really struggled with this in the conceptual (drawing) stages because I couldn't get beyond that "cute dog picture" look as the incredible cuteness of that darned dog completely eclipsed the young woman.

To resolve this thorny problem I had Anna engage the viewer directly with her eyes and had the dog's gaze go off the canvas. I also had to remove the light in the dog's eye or this painting wouldn't work at all. (It amazes me how something that small can really matter!)

Again, go for it - it is well worth the trouble when a pet is so important and helps define the person you are painting!