Pet Portrait Courses

'Cat Portrait - by Yvonne Rissone'

"I thought I'd let you know that I sold the horse painting today. The owner loved it. From somebody else who saw the painting I got a commission to do a full body dog painting. I'm so pleased, and it all started when I asked you to help me with Amazon Amber. Thank you so much for giving me the confidence and guidance"- Marie-Jeanne Ribbink, Co Mayo, Ireland

"Just wonderful to talk to someone so knowledgable, look at your work and try out different pastels and supports. I am thrilled with my painting" - Catherine Putman, Inverness

"I had a great time, and can't believe I produced those wonderful paintings" - Tracy Barker, Crediton

"Thank you for such a fantastic course. It was absolutely everything I had hoped for and more" - Clive Shaw, West Sussex

"I can't thank you enough for all your help and encouragement. It feels like a whole new world has opened up for me" - Rosie Vincent, Bideford

"The course was excellent and I learned a great deal. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone" - Simon Francis, Port Talbot

"I learned so much from my visit to you - the e-courses had shown me how you work, but your actual tuition gave me the insight I needed" - Shirley Cooper, Wakefield

****Two day Pet Portrait courses****

"The reality of pets (and paintings) is that they are commodities acquired for the pleasures they provide" - James H Rubin ("Impressionist Cats and Dogs")

I am running specialised two day courses to show you how to benefit from the lucrative pet portrait market - or just paint a stunning image of your own pet. I have had 35 years of taking commissions for clients' pets, from dogs and cats to horses, cows, ferrets, birds and even a cheetah. On this two day course I will be giving you essential tips on all aspects of pet portraiture, from photography and drawing out through to the final stage of producing a fantastic finished image. Whether you are a beginner, or an experienced artist wishing to develop your skills, you will find this course invaluable. The following topics will be covered:

* Photography

'Pet Portrait Course - April 09'

* Choice of paper

* Design and composition

* Drawing out

* Choice of pastels

* Different approaches to painting your image

* Presentation

* Marketing suggestions

Once you book in, I will send you a set of course notes, including notes on photography showing you how to take the best possible photograph of your favourite animal - this is the essential first step to producing a good finished portrait. I will then help you to select the best photograph for you to work from on the course itself.

'Jester - by Kath Hodge'

I will be giving you valuable tips on the topics listed above, and providing you with help and advice while you paint your choice of pet from your selected photograph, or, if you prefer, from my own extensive set of references.

I have added some new courses for Autumn 2010, and places for 2011 have now been posted on my Course and Tuition Dates page.

This course covers two days, and each day will run from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Places are limited to three artists to ensure individual tuition.

The course fee is £175.00, to include light refreshments, a light lunch and mid afternoon Devon Cream Tea on each day.

A non-refundable £75 deposit is payable on booking, with the balance payable four weeks prior to the start of the course. Please go to my Workshops and Course Dates page to pay by PayPal (deposit only). If you prefer, you can of course still pay by cheque through the post.

Please ring or email if you would like further details. If you are looking for accommodation for your visit, please refer to my Leisure and Painting Breaks page for a list of local B&B's. If you have any difficulties, please let me know and I will be more than happy to make some enquiries for you.

'Pippa - by Joan Lewis'

****Also available - Wildlife Painting Option****

As an alternative to a pet portrait, why not try painting wildlife? Following requests from clients, I can show you how to paint wildlife using the same format as my tried and tested Pet Portrait courses - either from your own images or from one of my own collection. I can mix and match pets and wildlife on the same course, so if wildlife is your passion please let me know.

****New for 2011 - Three Day Pet Portrait Courses****

For anyone who would like a longer stay in Devon while developing their pet portrait skills I have put on a couple of three day Pet Portrait courses. These longer courses may be particularly attractive if you would like to tackle more than one subject while you are here. The cost will be an additional £87.50, to include light lunch and a treat of your choice - cream tea, Devon fudge or blueberry muffins. Dates are on my Course and Tuition Dates page.

****Pet Portrait courses by post and email****

These courses have been developed for you to produce a beautiful image of that special pet in the comfort of your own home.

Once you sign up for my postal/email course I will send you a set of course notes, including notes on photography to give you tips for taking really good quality photographs - the essential first step to producing a good finished portrait. I will help you select the most suitable photograph to work from, and show you how to draw out your initial image on the sheet of velour which is supplied with the course. I will then provide you with all the tuition and advice needed for you to build up layers of colour to complete a stunning picture of your chosen subject.

The email/postal course will be in four parts:

1. The initial drawing.

2. Applying the first layer of colour.

3. Adding colour to give depth.

4. Finishing touches.

At the end of the course you will have an image you will be proud of - as well as added confidence to take on commissions.

The cost of the course is £95.00 to cover P&P, a sheet of velour paper, photography notes and tuition, £97.50 for the postal option..

As an alternative to the drawing stage, I can if you wish provide you with a hand drawn image to work on. This may be especially useful if you wish to concentrate on the colour stages of portraiture.

Wildlife Option As with my home studio courses, I can tailor the course to cover a wildlife subject if you wish. Please let me know when booking.

To sign up for a Pet Portrait course by email or post and pay securely via PayPal, please select the email or postal option and click on the "Buy Now" button below. If you would like to speak to me with any questions about the course, please don't hesitate to ring or email. You can pay by cheque through the post if you prefer.

**** Tonal Study Option ****

If you prefer, I can provide you with the intial drawing and tonal study as part of my basic Pet Portrait course to get you off to a good start with your painting. The cost of the Pet Portrait course with tonal study is £145.00. If you would like to order and pay via PayPal, please click on the button below.

**** Improvers' Pet Portrait Course ****

This course, devised in response to various follow-up questions from artists, is ideal for those who are already skilled in painting animals in pastel but would like to develop further.

As well as helping you to produce a beautiful finished painting of your favourite animal, I will be showing you how to:

* Create an interesting composition

* Make use of tone and colour

* Create backgrounds which complement your painting

As with the basic Pet Portrait Course, this is a two day course, and places are limited to three students. The course fee is £175.00, to include light refreshments, a light lunch and a mid afternoon Devon Cream Tea on each day of the course.

A non-refundable £75.00 deposit is payable on booking, with the balance payable four weeks prior to the course date. Available dates can be found on my Workshops and Course Dates page, where you will find a "Buy Now" button if you wish to pay the deposit through PayPal. Alternatively, you can ring to book and pay by cheque through the post.

****Pet Portrait Improvers' Course by Post and Email****

"I have enjoyed this course, it has covered my weak points and made me think much more. I look forward to the next of this type" - Pam Sawyers, Isle of Wight

Postal and e-mail versions of my Pet Portrait Improvers' course are now available. I am arranging this course in modules, and in the first module we will cover in more detail the tricky area of adding a suitable background for a head and shoulders animal portrait.

We will start by selecting a suitable image to work on, and then go on to discuss the choice of paper and the effect this will have on the completed image. We will also discuss how to approach and work on the background, and how a good background can enhance your painting. As my Improvers' modules are designed for the more advanced artist, I will only be offering minimal tuition with regard to the main portrait, but I will take you step by step through the variuous stages to develop a background which will complement your chosen image.

The cost of the "background" module is £50.00, and I will be adding further modules in due course to deal with other tricky areas in animal portraiture. Further detail will be posted here. To order the Pet Portrait Improvers background course by email or post and pay via PayPal, please select the email or postal option below and click on the "Buy Now" button.

If you have any questions about these courses before booking, please feel free to ring or email me - click on Contact Me for contact details.