I’ve been learning some new artsy techniques with photos. I was using them on a public domain image of a border collie in snow. Here is the before and after:
I love the result so much that I decided to use my alluring new wiles on photos of pets and offer them for sale.
I enlisted some friends to send me pictures of their pets to build my portfolio…and to make sure I can work with images I haven’t hand-picked.
I will be sharing these images over the next few blog posts as well as adding them to my store for sale printed on various items. The commissions I do in the future will be offered to the pet owner as a digital download as well, but I’m not going to offer that option to anyone other than the specific pet owner.
First up is K’s dog, Ellie-Mae. Her short hair is dark, so I did a lot to bring its texture out. I also used a different process for the background to make it more visually compelling. I really love the result:
K also sent me a photo of Ellie-Mae lying in front of a Christmas tree. It’s a great photo in and of itself, but the lighting and angle made it difficult to transform her face without twisting her mouth up in a weird way. I couldn’t seem to un-swirl it to my satisfaction, but here it is anyway:
Next up is N’s dog, Barley. I worked hard to get the right amount of detail while still capturing his soulful eyes. I’m really proud of the result:
I need a name for the images I’ll be creating, but I’m having trouble coming up with one. Marketing decisions like this are not my strong suit, so ideas on a name are welcome. I like alliteration, but don’t require it. It also doesn’t have to contain the word pet. Maybe something with animals, as I plan to work on non-pet public domain animals as well? No idea is too silly or strange for consideration…