My custom pet portrait business continues to grow …

Since I wrote my last blog post about my custom pet portraits, I have illustrated 8 more dogs. Each dog is so distinct and fun to draw and my favorite customer comment was that my illustrations “show their unique personalities”. Although I’ve been using Adobe Illustrator for many years, this particular application takes a new set of skills. I’m layering more now and using the layers to work on different portions of each animal – ears, mouth, eyes, color blocking and details. This enables me to concentrate in on more details and add or erase more easily. When asked what my biggest challenge has been so far, I responded that the lighter the dog, the more challenging the drawing. I did a solid white dog recently (which I can’t show you here because this portrait will be a Christmas gift!) and found that dog particularly difficult to capture. In the process, I used both blue shades and tan shades to give depth and realism. The portrait posted here was done for someone who was mourning her recently deseased pet and wanted the portrait to help ease the pain. “Maddie” turned out to be one of my favorites and was easier to illustrate due to her variety of shades – the tans, blacks and a hue of blues helped bring her personality out. I try to always illustrate the dogs with smiles – happy dogs make people happy. 

I draw the portraits from a photo (or photos) provided and use the program Adobe Illustrator. The final piece is an 11 x 14 digital print on Epson UltraSmooth Fine Art Archival Photo Inkjet Paper.  I use some Prismacolor pens to complete each portrait. Currently, orders take two weeks to ship and can be ordered by emailing me. All I need to get started is the pet’s name and some nicely lit close-up shots! My goal for this business is to open an Etsy shop where all my custom portraits will be available for purchase.

To see more of my pet portraits, click here  or follow me on Instagram!

instagram.com/mindyjs_lefthander/

The post Custom Pet Portraits – post 2 appeared first on Left Hand Graphic Design.

A custom pet portrait of a Boykin Spaniel goes to Florida …

Last week, I shipped out another custom pet portrait. This one a Boykin Spaniel, our official SC dog. South Carolina designated this spaniel as the official state dog in 1985. Known for their mild temperament and highly regarded as pets or hunting dogs, the boykin spaniel was originally bred for hunting wild turkeys and ducks in the Wateree River Swamp of South Carolina.  Nowadays, the boykin is an extremely popular breed and when you walk the beaches of Charleston, you’ll see plenty of boykins running in the sand. 

This portrait request came from Florida (a SC transplant) and I received two photos to get me started on the project. One was an inside shot and the second was of the dog laying on the front porch. The lighting was completely different making the dog’s coat a very dark brown in one shot and a light, golden brown in the second shot. I decided to go with the lighter tones. Although I was happy with the final, I will probably go a little darker on the next boykin I illustrate. It’s a learning process and this was my first boykin spaniel. Fortunately, the client was very happy with the portrait. My own critiques are always the most harsh!

Today, I got a text from the owner of this friendly pup and she said,
“Yahmi is a handsome boy, especially in your portrait. But he has been in trouble every day this week … the fame has gone to his head!”
Enjoy it while you can, Yahmi –  I’m sure the limelight will dim!

My custom pet portrait business is growing slowly and I hope to soon develop a line of greeting cards using the portraits. I draw the portraits from a photo (or photos) provided and use the program Adobe Illustrator. The final piece is an 11 x 14 digital print on Epson UltraSmooth Fine Art Archival Photo Inkjet Paper.  I use some Prismacolor pens to complete each portrait. Currently, orders take two weeks to ship and can be ordered by emailing me. All I need to get started is the pet’s name and some nicely lit close up shots! My goal for this business is to open an Etsy shop where all my custom portraits will be available for purchase, along with the greeting cards.

To see more of my pet portraits, click here: www.lefthandgraphicdesign.com/pets or follow me on Instagram!

instagram.com/mindyjs_lefthander/

The post Custom Pet Portraits appeared first on Left Hand Graphic Design.

Unique pet illutrations of adorable pets. Get in touch with me if you have an interest!

Would you like a unique illutration print of your dog or cat? Get in touch with me by email or phone. I only need a nicely well-lit headshot photo (or two). 

During 2017 and into this year, I have been illustrating pets for The Paw Prints Shop. People send in photos of their pets and I use those photos to create a unique illustration of their dog or cat … which usually includes a colorful pair of glasses! The Paw Prints Shop is the genius inspiration of Amy Bone, who is a Chicago photographer of both people and pets. She wanted to expand her business into more than just photos and open up an Etsy shop for her products, which include custom portraits … along with coffee mugs, water bottles and other items with pet illustrations and some fun “pet sayings” products. Amy’s shop has been very successful in the period of one year and I’m sure she will continue to add more products and creative pet goodies.

Amy and I met here in Mount Pleasant, SC, her home before moving to Chicago, and discussed the possibilities. Although my experience drawing pets was limited, I jumped at the chance to expand my skills and was excited about this new project. I have now illustrated over 30 dogs and 10 cats and am hoping to begin my own pet portrait business here in Charleston (with Amy’s blessing, I might add!). Anyone interested in a pet portrait can contact me through my website – or just give me a call. Now that I have begun this journey, so many dogs I see out and about catch my attention as a new breed I haven’t illustrated yet. And the pets themselves are as individual as people .. so no two look the same. See some of my illustrations here:

lefthandgraphicdesign.com/portfolio/illustrations

The post Pet Portraits appeared first on Left Hand Graphic Design.

Product packaging design has not been on my list of typical client requests here in Charleston and this was a fun project …

Saffron Grill & Bakery Cake Box

Product packaging design has not been on my list of typical client requests here in Charleston, SC. However, when I was contacted by the owner of Saffron Grill & Bakery to come to the restaurant and meet with him, I jumped at the opportunity. Shahram Aghapour was developing a new cheesecake and needed some eye-catching packaging. The new cake he wanted to create would be called Angel Cheesecake and would be light, fluffy and original. 

Saffron Bakery is widely known in Charleston for it’s delectable baked goods delivered and sold in local groceries and also in the restaurant at Saffron located in the heart of downtown on East Bay Street. In business since 1986, Saffron Bakery & Grill is a local favorite for breads, pastries, and cakes, as well the place to go for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For over three decades, Saffron has used local farmers and vendors whenever possible and some of the recipes, such as the She Crab Soup and Shrimp & Grits are the same as the day they opened their doors.

For our first meeting, Shahram had some specific ideas about the box he wanted to share with me. Although product packing needs to be practical, it also needs to tell the story of what you’re buying in the box. The packaging for this kind of cake needed to engage through imagery of sight and taste. The box would have air holes for the cake and the cake would be sold fresh from the bakery. He wanted the top of the box to have an image of the cake and to talk about the lightness of the cake itself. He also wanted to use the saffron color. The challenge for me was not being able to see the actual cake – or taste it! After a few meetings, several rounds of layouts and some intense fine-tuning, the packaging was approved. The next step was to send it to the box manufacturer. I look forward to seeing (and tasting!) the final packaging and product.

eatatsaffron.com

The post Saffron Grill & Bakery appeared first on Left Hand Graphic Design.