The Porcelain Gallery

Animals

Animals are very fun to paint.  I especially like to paint the pets of my close friends and family.  I can also be commissioned to paint your pet.  For more information, please email me a good picture and we can discuss details and prices.  Here are some of my favorite animals captured in porcelain:

Cats

Birds

Dogs/Wolves

Speaking of dogs, here is an article of mine that was published in the May/June 2005 issue of The China Decorator.  Here is the article:

“Miss Snickers with the Betty Davis Eyes”

By: Catherine Tonning-Popowich

Snickers was a dog of some dear friends of ours.  I had the privilege to spend 10 days with her last fall at her home in Royal Oak, Michigan while her family was away on vacation.  At the time, she was fighting a battle with cancer, but you wouldn’t have guessed it as she kept up her usual “cookie scams” and gentle manner. We took daily road trips. One day we drove to Caro, Michigan to have lunch with Gladys Galloway. Unfortunately, Snickers has since lost the battle with her illness, but she lives on in the hearts of the people who loved her.

While she was sharing her home with me, she posed for this picture.  This is the look she would give me when she thought she had earned a doggie cookie, even though we both knew she didn’t really do anything to earn it.

As I was not at home to paint the original study of Snickers on porcelain, I did a pencil sketch followed by a watercolor study.  When I got home, I had some very good references to start this porcelain study. 

Painting your pet starts with some very good photos.  Make sure you have a clear and sharp photo.  It is easiest to do a straight frontal view or a profile.  A three quarter view is the most difficult one to paint.  Once you have the right photo, make a black and white copy and enlarge it if needed.  Make your line drawing from this black and white copy.  Looking at a black and white copy lets you see the shapes of shadows and colors.  I always keep both the color copy and the black and white copy close at hand while painting the tile.

Doing a portrait of your pet is very much like doing a portrait of a person.  Start with a good, clear line drawing.  Pay close attention to the eyes and the direction that the fur grows.  Which tools you use to create fur depends on whether your pet has long or short fur.  On a Beagle, the fur is short all over, so I used a white make up sponge to create a short, somewhat fuzzy look by padding it into the paint.  However, when I paint a Husky, I use small wipe out tools to pull through the paint to create long fur.

Our pets are very special family members and are not always with us as long as we would like. Capturing your pet in a painting, whether it is on porcelain, watercolor, oils or pencils, is a way to keep them with us long after they are gone.

Miss Snickers

Questions or comments?  

Email me at cltonning@porcelaingallery.com

Web Design by Michelle Catherine Popowich
Copyright 2005 by The Porcelain Gallery