A portrait begins with the eyes...the window to the soul!

  I am often asked, when working on a piece, if I start with the eyes on my paintings and the answer is almost always "yes".  Now you may ask why do I start with the eyes when creating a portrait? There are a few reasons:

   Firstly, I want to feel connected to the subject and since the eyes are "the window to the soul", I am able to see the spirit and character early on which helps me render a realistic representation.

    Secondly, I don't particularly like staring at blank ghostly orbits as the rest of the subject comes to life. It's like I'm staring at a ghostly figure with no emotion.

   Thirdly, once I am satisfied I have rendered the eyes to convey the subject's unique character and charm, it gives me confidence that I can truly achieve a good likeness. It just has to look like the client's pet and of course, they have to be in love with it too!

 

You can follow the progress of this and many other portraits on my official facebook page and website