1. After initially talking with you about your upcoming pet portrait, photos will need to be gathered. If you live in the New York area and are willing, I'd love to schedule a photoshoot and meet you and your pet. If not, I'll need 3-6 well lit photos. See photography notes. Details such as the animal's face, paws, or special collars or tags all help to inform the final piece.

2. Upon deciding which photos to use, I'll start doing some quick sketches to come up with a suitable composition and proportion. Then I'll do a more finished drawing to get your approval as to where I'm going with the final piece. I then transfer this drawing onto the final surface, be it canvas or paper mounted onto a panel.

3. Usually at this point I'll tone the surface with a neutral color (in this case, burnt sienna) so I'm not working on white and can better judge color and value relationships. The next stage is sort of the "best guess" layer wherein I go with first impulses of light or dark, and warm or cool colors trying not to edit myself too much. I then keep modifying these decisions once I have the entire surface painted in.

4. Finally, I'll go back in and refine certain areas or details that I really want to stand out and catch your eye. I'll then take a quick photo and e-mail it to you so you can get your first glimpse of the final piece. A varnish coat is applied and then set aside to dry. After a week or so, the finished piece is packed up and sent on its way.