Every picture tells a story: a new pet portrait by Terry Albert

I just finished this pet portrait of Maddie and Butch and am excited to share it with you! Their owners, John and Janet, are friends and we met while volunteers for Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue. About ten years ago, I did a portrait of their two rescued black Labs, Sarah and Jack. Now, in 2010, they asked me to do a portrait of the next generation of their Labrador family, Maddie and Butch, a pair of elderly Lab mixes. 

I never know what challenges I will face when asked to do a commissioned piece. They asked me to do the same size and on the same type of paper that I used for the first portrait. I used a gray-flecked mat board, and I think I made a good match; we'll find out when we put the paintings side by side. We'll also see how much my style has changed in ten years!

They also asked me to make Butch's gray hair match the amount that Maddie has, so he's not quite as grey as you see him in the photo I painted from.

When it was finished I sent John and Janet an email to show them the result. This is the response I received:

I was in the kitchen baking cookies, and I heard John saying "oh my gosh, oh my gosh".  I'm thinking "did we just win the lottery or what?"  He said come here and look at this!  So of course I ran back to his study, and what I saw on the computer screen virtually took by breath away.  The portrait is absolutely beautiful.  Unbelievable! You captured the essence of Butch and Maddie!

How I paint

I have always worked in colored pencil, and over the past few years I am gradually challenging myself to use more paint and less pencil because I like the finished effect better. I usually started with watercolors and did an underpainting, then when I got "lost" with the paintbrush, I would switch to pencil for the details. This time, I did most of the painting in acrylic, which looks more realistic to me. I'm learning to put in lots of fur detail with paint, and I enjoy it and like the finished result. I love buying little tiny brushes too! 

I found a fun brush called a granier that has bristles of various lengths. Now I can paint striped brushstrokes, perfect for fur, grass , woodgrain, any thing that requires repetitive narrow lines. I work fast and don't have a lot of patience, but I'm not the type to use large brushstrokes to imply an area. It is a continuous learning experience. 

Maybe someday I will abandon the pencils altogether. The children that visit me love the big tote-box full of pencils, all arranged by color. I will sit them down at my drawing table and let them create their own masterpiece, usually a drawing of my horses or dogs and a happy child with a sun shining behind her. 

My ancient drawing table cost me $5 in 1973. I bought it from the company I worked for when they laid off a bunch of artists. Somebody wrote in ink at the top," Tab: 10 x 13 1/2," which was the page size we used for our ad layouts for Builder Emporium. It's a fun memento of my days as a commercial artist.

Meanwhile…

I have making pet portraits for 20 years now, and work in paint, pencil or pastels. Whatever the medium, it is a labor of love, and I get immense satisfaction from my clients’ happiness. Their eyes glow when they talk about their beloved dog, and I’m happy they chose me to make a precious keepsake commemorating their pet.  
Visit my website at www.terryalbert.com