Hand-painted vs. digital pet portraits: which one is right for you?
The difference between custom hand-painted pet portraits and a filtered image printed on canvas. Pros & cons of hand-painted vs digital pet portraits.
How (and why) I became a pet portrait painter
How I traded my engineering career for life as a full-time pet portrait painter and owner of Melissa Smith Art—and why I still love it!
Why commission a custom-painted pet portrait?
The top 3 reasons why people love custom hand-painted pet portraits, with no digital media or printing—just acrylic paint, canvas, and love.
The magic of acrylics for painting pet portraits
The materials I use to create custom hand-painted pet portraits, and why I love acrylic paint and pre-stretched canvas.
How I paint custom portraits of pets: the 7 steps of my creative process
The 7 steps of my creative process for painting custom portraits of pets, from start to finish.
5 Tips For Taking a Portrait-Worthy Photo of Your Pet
My top 5 tips for taking a portrait-worthy photo of your pet—how to take the best photo for a custom pet portrait.
How To Tighten Stretched Canvas
Ahhhh! Nothing worse than opening a fresh pack of pre-stretched canvases from the art supply store (mmm… new canvas smell) and seeing your new canvas is hanging loose on the wood frame! What you need is a quick way to tighten that stretched canvas! If you aren’t sure what on earth I’m talking about, here’s … Read more »
So I interviewed one of my pet portrait painting clients…
Love my repeat customers!!! Dona has ordered 5 custom pet portrait paintings from me… I just had to know what made her keep coming back so I can keep doing more of the same! On the fence about ordering from me? Read Dona’s answers to these 7 questions below and perhaps it will change your … Read more »