Commissioning a Portrait
of Your Pet
Whether a cat or dog… bird or reptile… the pets we share our lives with have a remarkable way of claiming a permanent place in our hearts.
This truth is why I work hard to create portraits that are cherished for years to come.
Below you’ll find out how you can get one showcasing your own furry friend, shown in the best light possible.
Pricing
I currently offer pet portraits in three sizes which are:
8”×10” Vertical
10”×8” Horizontal
10”×10” Square
The price is $350 regardless of which size you choose.
Priority Mail shipping is included in the fee and your finished pet portrait will arrive at your home ready-to-hang in a contemporary black frame that features a white mat similar to the one shown in the image above.
The Process
Getting started with your new pet portrait is easier than you might think. It really is as easy as 1,2, 3.
1) Fill Out The Order Form
2) Approve the Sketch & Pay the Invoice
3) Final Approval
Here is some more information on each of these steps…
PHASE 1
THE ORDER FORM
It may seem obvious, but everything begins with you filling out the order form with your name, your pet's name, the size and shape of the piece you want created, and any "setup" requests for the setting or pose of your pet.
This is the starting line. In my mind, as soon as the notification shows up on my end that your request has been submitted... the clock is ticking. My goal? To be sending you a tracking number for the box containing your new pet portrait which I have just shipped out and is now headed your way... all within 30 days of you sending the initial order from my way.
But there is one more thing I need before I can get started. Something I can only get... from you.
REFERENCE PHOTOS
It goes without saying that before I can start working on the sketch of your dog or cat, I need to have some good reference photos to look at.
Once you hit the “submit” button on the order form below you’ll be taken to a confirmation page where you will see my email address.
Your Mission:
Send a handful of the best photos of your pet to that email address.
Five is good. Nine is better. Keep in mind that photos showing your pet from different angles and in different poses is a best practice as I find that everyone tends to want the lines, spots and other unique markings of their pet shown accurately in the final work. In order to do that, I need to know what your pet looks like from multiple angles.
NOTE: Be sure to include your pet’s name in the subject line of the email that you send containing the reference photos so that I can match your pet to your order form.
“Room” Reference Photos
I typically craft my pet portraits either showing the subject within a room in a tastefully appointed home that has a blend of a contemporary and traditional styling…or in some kind of outdoor environment that owners request.
Sometimes though, people will want me to have their pet shown as relaxing in a “special spot” in their own particular home. Sometimes this is laying on the floor on a particular rug set out in front of a specific coffee table. Or maybe laying on their favor sofa or chair. Sitting on a ledge in the window that they always looked out of in their constant mission to monitor the neighborhood is another setup that is often asked for.
I do try my best to accommodate these requests but in order to do so you’ll need to include at least 5 photos of the room in addition to the photos of your pet. They should be broken down into two groups:
Four “Corner” Images - photos should be captured from each corner of the room showing what the room looks like overall
The “Special Spot” Image - include one additional photo that focuses on the “special spot” specifically.
Once you email over the photos I need, I will reply back to let you know that I have received them and that I have begin working on the project. Up next is…
PHASE 2
The Sketch
The next thing that needs to happen is that I will needed to work on the initial sketch of your pet. This will provide both you and me with the overall look and feel that will guide the project to completion.
It typically takes 3 to 5 business days to complete the sketch and get it back to you for review. Once completed, it will look something like this:
SKETCH
Note: Don’t expect the detailed fur texture and unique markings of your pet to be present in the sketch. The purpose at this early stage is to give you an overall “feel” of what the final form will be.
My goal is to ensure you have a good understanding of what I call the “weight and balance” of the composition as well as the pose. You’ll also have a good impression of what the surrounding environment elements will look like.
Once the sketch is sent your way, I will wait for you to reply back to let me know that overall direction the portrait process is taking is to your liking and that your approval to move forward is given.
The Payment Process
Once the sketch has been approved, I will email you over an invoice. The invoice will come from Brian Kurtz Studio and will have a secure link you can use to pay online.
Once payment is receive I will then do the rest of the work to bring the portrait to completion.
Phase 3
Final Approval & Production
Finishing Up
With the sketch approved and the invoice paid, I will get back to work with he goal of creating the BEST possible portrait of your pet that could possibly be made.
This part of the process can take 3 to 7 business days depending on how many commissions I currently have on the board. But once finished I will email over an image of what the completed piece will look like and wait for your final approval.
Final Production & Shipping
Once you let me know that you are pleased with the look of the final piece, I will then send it over to my printer to have it laid out on watercolor paper.
The work will be sent to me loose and upon receiving it at at my studio, I will inspect your pet’s portrait for any blemishes and then go to work matting and framing it. From there it will be given protective packaging and then placed a box which will be shipped to the address indicated on your initial order form.
The last email you should receive from me is one letting you know that your finished artwork is on its way along with the tracking number you can use to monitor it’s progress from my studio in Michigan to it’s final destination… your own home address.
The Three Questions
If you have read this far, then I’m guessing that you’re pretty much ready to get started. However, I have found that people tend email me the same Three Questions before they fill out the order form and hit the “submit” button. So let me head those off at the pass and give you the answers to those questions now:
Question 1
How Long Does This Take?
It typically takes about 14 days to complete all the steps outlined above. So about 2 weeks from the time you hit the “Submit” button and email me the initial reference photos of your pet to the time you get the email with the tracking number letting you know that your finished artwork making it’s way to your home.
The process can take longer if you find yourself busy with life and it takes you longer to supply the approval of both the sketch and the final form of the piece. It can take longer still if you need me to do one or more re-works of the piece as a whole.
Typically though, my personal goal is to see most pieces go out within 14 days and to never let one take longer than 30 days before shipping out.
Question 2
What If I Don’t Like the Sketch?
While it does seem that people usually like the first sketch I send over… it’s safe to admit that that’s not always the case. Sometimes the vision we have in our minds doesn’t look as good on the wall. For example, someone might initially think they want to see their pet laying down on the rug in front of the fireplace but when I send the sketch over… they find that it doesn’t convey the “feeling” they were hoping to get when looking at it.
In such situations I will do re-works. We will communicate via email different ideas on different poses or setups and I will craft new sketches and send them over.
Question 1
How Long Does This Take?
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Phase 7
The Work
Your approval to move forward based on the sketch and the Deposit received, the heavy lifting begins in earnest. Many people want to know a bit more about how I do what I do. While I am not willing to give away the full details of my “secret sauce” to creating pet portraits, a simplified summary that will help you envision the process is shown below:
Step 1
Smudge Painting
I begin by loading the sketch into my digital software and then use a smudge tool to “smush around the color” from the sketch. This creates a kind of etherial underpainting that will work well as a base for all the layers that are to come.
Step 2
Watercolor Base
With the underpainting established I then use watercolor-texture brushes to lay in the modeling layer. This is where the piece starts to come together and I can get a feel as to whether it’s headed in the right direction…or not.
I take special care to get this phase right because the later “detail phases” take up a lot more of my time and if the “core look and feel” of the painting established here is not on-point… the rest of the piece is going to struggle.
Step 3
Pre-Detailing
Once I know that everything is on track I begin to add in more marks which plot where the details are going to go. The image above of my Bently is shown at this checkpoint.
I estimate that about 70% of the creation process is done once we reach this level of completion. The remaining creative work amounts to adding in all the details and then the subsequent tasks necessary for final production.
It’s here that I hit the “pause button” one more time to email over this Pre-Detail image for final approval. You will be able to discern the overall look and feel of your pet’s portrait and will be albe to rest easy that once the piece is completed and in your home, it really will look like your pet.
Once you reply and notifiy me that you are satisfied with the progress of the piece, we move on to…
Phase 8
Squaring Up
Once you receive the email from me showing how the “Pre-Detail Stage” looks, you can review and decide if you feel that the piece is coming along the way you hoped.
If so, you will email me back final approval that you are satisfied and whish to move forward to completion.
I will then will send you a second invoice requesting that you square up on The Balance. Once that has been taken care of, I will begin the process of putting in the details and making it ready for final production.
(Note: if you live in the State of Michigan or outside the United States, you can expect the invoice for The Balance to be sent to you via my Etsy Shop. This is because Etsy handles the task of collecting Michigan sales tax and submitting it to the state. They also do the same for my international clients in regards to duties, tariffs, VAT, and any of the other wide variety of fees that different nations charge to have custom artwork imported into their countires. In this case I will create a custom listing for the portrait on Etsy and send you a link to it. You can then complete the purchase through Etsy and we will move forward as expected.)
With the Balance settled, we move forward to…
Phase 8
Final Production
It’s time to finish up the piece. I will apply the final details and make any other tweaks and adjustments. Fur and texture is the main elements that need to be done at this point, but global adjustments to tone, levels, saturation, vitnette, and texture are evaluated and addressed in an effort to create a finished piece that is as close to perfect as possible.
I then upload the digital file to my printing partner who will proceed to use an archival inkjet printer to create a Giclée print of the artwork on acid-free watercolor paper in your chosen size. The print is then shipped to my studio in a rigid tube for final preparation.
Once the watercolor print shows up at my front door, I will custom trim and then permanently afix it to a cradeled wood panel. Next, I hand-sign the work on the front using an ink that is barely visible unless viewed up close. This choice is made because when the signature is applied in ‘stealth mode’… then it does not become a visual distraction from the overall composition when looking at it in person.
From here a certication label is afixed to the back of the panel and a matching Certificate of Authenticity is created for the piece.
The artwork and it’s certificate of authenticity will be securely packed in a padded, puncture-proof box specifically designed for shipping artwork. I will then ship your pet portrait to you and provide a tracking number so you can follow it on each step of its voyage from my post office… all the way to your home.
Phase 9
The Delivery
Somewhere around 30 to 45 days after you first submitted your order, the the postman will show up at your home with the box containing the ready-to-hang portrait of your pet. Once installed in a special place in your home, I’m sure it will bring you much joy for years to come.
If I have done my job well, then when you look at the piece from across the room you’ll get the initial impression that you’re looking at a photograph. This is because our eyes are drawn to faces and the face of your pet will be painted with the most detail.
From there though, as your eye moves through the piece you will realize that it’s not a photograph at all. The fur of the body looks a little more…abstract. Move your gaze further towards the edges and you’ll notice the watercolor-wash I use to compose the background and give it that “painterly” look that I really strive to achieve.
Ultimately, your pets portrait will have a sense of whimsy and warmth that transcend what even great studio photographs provide.
I sure do love the portrait of Bentley and I predict that when looking at the similar one I have made of YOUR pet… be it the first time or the hundredth time… you’ll love yours as well.
Pricing
“How much does a pet portrait cost?”
Pricing for my work is listed by size below. The figures include the all-in fee for the creation, mounting, framing, packing and shipping. The only additional fees that might arise are Duties/Tariffs/VAT for international collectors and sales tax for U.S. residents living in the state of Michigan.
Note: the most popular sizes are outlined in the boxes below.
As mentioned previously, this prices is split into two parts the first being the “Createive Fee” (a.k.a. The Deposit) which is collected upon approval of the initial sketch and and the Production Fee (a.k.a. The Balance) which is collected when the piece is mostly complete.
LET’S GET STARTED
So now you know what to expect when expecting to have Brian Kurtz create a portrait of your pet. I hope that I have answered all your major questions in advance. If not, you can send me a few more via my Contact Page.
If you’re ready to move forward…just click the button below and fill out the order form to get the ball rolling.