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Pet Portraits: The Artist At Work

Here at Big Red, we are exceptionally proud to represent our critically acclaimed pet portraits artist, David Orland.

the artist at work on a cat portrait commission
the artist at work on a horse portrait commission
gouache paints image
sample horse portrait

Traditionally Painted Pet Portraits – Galleries

Dog Portrait Gallery

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Dog Portrait Gallery

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painting of cat portrait - sample 01

Cat Portrait Gallery

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painting of cat portrait - sample 01

Cat Portrait Gallery

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painting of horse portrait - sample 01

Horse Portrait Gallery

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painting of horse portrait - sample 01

Horse Portrait Gallery

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Pet Portraits Enquiry Form

dog01 framed in situ

Dog Portrait of 'Mollie'

We were absolutely thrilled with the service we received from David, the pet portrait specialist at Big Red. The portrait he created for us is simply fabulous and captured our little ‘Mollie’ just as we’d hoped. From start to finish the process was easy. We simply sent over our photo via email, paid the fee and within a week we had a fantastic portrait of our beloved dog up on the wall in our living room.

John and Jenny Bakeman 2019

cat01-framed-in-sit

Cat Portrait of 'Trixie'

The portrait of Trixie is truly fabulous. Can’t wait for John to open it on Christmas morning!

Sophie Riddle 2019

Horse Portrait of 'Charlie'

I can’t imagine having the skill and patience this painting must have taken. The resemblance is spot on and without a doubt ‘my Charlie’! So pleased with how this has all gone and so easy to work with you – thank you so much.

Mary Francis 2019

dog02-framed-in-situ

Dog Portrait of 'Ralph'

Hi Adam,

I’ve just this minute received the portrait of Ralph and had to email you straight away to express how thrilled I am with the painting! The likeness is unbelievable and I can’t wait for my wife to open it next week on her birthday. Really can’t thank you enough…absolutely love it!

Gary Arnold 2019

cat02-framed-in-situ

Cat Portrait of 'Tommy'

You’ve captured Tommy exactly and I love it! So pleased I went ahead with this and it’s so true that you get what you pay for. The quality and likeness is clear to see and shows the skill and time taken to achieve such fantastic pieces. Will recommend you to all my family and friends who have pets!

Maureen and Jeffery Pincent 2019

Horse Portrait of 'Jessie'

Well what can I say other than it’s simply brilliant! You are so talented and to be able to capture such a perfect realistic likeness is truly a talent you’re blessed with. So pleased I nearly cried…

Lynn Oliver 2019

Dog Portrait of 'Fred'

Dear Adam, I received my painting of Fred today and as you know I’ve been so excited about this and to say that I wasn’t disappointed is such an understatement; it really is so fantastic. Can’t wait to get it framed and put up in ‘pride of place’ in my lounge. Thank you so much

Jane Claremont 2019

Cat Portrait of 'Mex'

Even better than I could have imagined – unbelievably brilliant. So pleased we commissioned this with you – couldn’t have hoped for anything better.

Harry Beecham 2019

Horse Portrait of 'Pepper'

In a word – brilliant!

James Cagney 2019

The Painting Of The Pet Portraits

With over 30 years of experience in his specialised field, David has become one of the most respected artists in this genre amongst his peers.

Working in his preferred medium of pencil and gouache on high quality textured watercolour paper his attention to detail is breathe taking and ensures an exact likeness of your beloved pet each and every time.

Making the perfect bespoke and personal gift for any occasion, David’s work never disappoints and captures the personality and character of what we’re sure is a cherished member of the family in a form that will stand the test of time.

Please review David’s carefully selected samples of his pet portraits showing you the quality and work processes assuring you that the commissioning and creation of your family pet portrait couldn’t be in better hands. Contact us today for further details.

 

The Likeness

photo reference of horse - sample 01

Photo Ref

Supplied by customer

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painting of horse portrait - sample 02

Painted Portrait

Gouche / Watercolour

The Detail Included In The Pet Portraits

Review the enlarged samples below to fully appreciate the fine detail that goes into every painting.
painting detail 01
painting detail 02
painting detail 03
painting detail 04

Pet Portraits – Traditionally Painted

So if you’re looking for the perfect Christmas or birthday gift. Think no further than commissioning your very own, hand painted, custom dog portrait, cat portrait or horse portrait…or any other pet portrait you may own of course.

Traditionally painted by our expert portrait artist, we will provide you with an unbelievable pet portrait gift that anyone would absolutely love to receive.

Highly recommended as the perfect great gift, whether for Christmas or Birthdays, these custom pet portrait commissions never fail to impress. Constantly giving that wow factor to any occasion.

As you will be able to see, our artist David is passionate about his work and strives to create perfect likenesses each and every time. We understand that your pets mean the world to you being such an integral part of our everyday lives. Allowing us to produce a long lasting memory of you pet, we consider an honour and something that we do not take lightly.

Photography always has it place in capturing special moments but when it comes to something really special, memorable and a piece to cherish for the years to come, then a classic piece of traditional, bespoke artwork can never be beaten. Every one of David’s paintings are created at such a level that they’ll soon be the focal point of any room and will instantly generate conversation from the people that view it. Most of the commissions we receive these days are from recommendations from previous customers which is the biggest compliment you can pay an artist and one that we constantly live up to. David is a true profession al and perfectionist and on top of all that, a really polite and grounded individual who has been a constant pleasure to work with over the years. No request is ever a problem, for David to look into. He strives to meet customers expectations and visions every time he begins any piece and by the time he’s finished not only has he met them in full but has on all occasions, surpassed beyond all pre-conceived thoughts any client had beforehand.

Another thing to please note is, whereas the majority of artists out there choose to create pastel pet portraits, or oil paintings of the subject, David has a unique style using pencil sketch and gouache paint, capturing your pet’s likeness on a truly realistic level. Only when you see the finished work in reality can you fully appreciate the time, care, skill, effort and technique that goes into his work. The depth that he generates in his pieces is something that has taken years of practise and commitment. There are are many pet portrait artists to be found in the world and on the web but only a handful really possess the natural talent and ability that simply cannot be taught to give you these exceptional pieces of final work. Many artist are not prepared to fully step back and re-work their paintings but with David it is the complete opposite with him not being able to leave a piece alone until it truly depicts the subject in question – a trait that makes David who he is, and his work what it is! Hence the success he is today.

Although our site mainly shows portraits of dogs, cats and horses we are in no way restricted to these animals and are more than happy to receive requests from anything from rats, bats and hamsters to rabbits, donkeys and chickens. We are also open to your creative ideas too, whether that be adding in a comedy element, or placing the subject in a composition made up of specially selected background, foreground and any other additional elements to your brief that you can think of. We aim to create the perfect piece for you the customer so any information that may help us achieve this is always greatly appreciated. Photo reference is often the greatest aid in this process so the better the photos you can send us the better the work tends to be.

When it comes to creating your portrait you can rest assured know that many hours have gone into creating the final artwork for you. With this said, it is important to understand that it in’t unusual to have up to a 6 week waiting period due to the number of hours each commission takes. The Christmas period tends to be a particularly busy time of year and it sometimes makes more sense to purchase a pet portrait voucher allowing you time in the new year to detail exactly what you want painting or allowing the recipient input into the photo reference / composition that is to be portrayed. Please just contact us for further details.