“Tanner” Pet Portraits In Charcoal
Why do you write the animals name on your Charcoal pieces but not on your Paintings Cy ?
I always include the animals name, or its breed (In a Wildlife piece), on every one of my Pet Portraits in Charcoal. I do this for the following reasons:
First, It is a simple way to honor the subject by putting a name to the face. Most of my Charcoal Portraits are head and shoulder portrayals focusing on the animals face, eyes and facial expression that best shows its true demeanor. I believe when you view all of this with a name right there it personalizes the animal and better connects her to the viewer.
Secondly the information that the written name provides the viewer helps to tell the story of the piece. My Charcoal Portraits are Illustrative in that they focus mainly on the animals face without much else as far as composition goes. This is the purpose of this style, so a name helps “fill out” and complete this story.
Lastly I just love pet names and I think the name adds cuteness and fun to the artwork. This reason actually relates to both the previous ones.
Paintings do not include the animals name?
I do not paint the animals name on my Acrylic Portraits (unless asked to) for one main reason:
My Acrylic Pet Portraits contain much more information. Color for one thing, but along with the illustrative component that a Charcoal Portrait has, a painting also includes the total composition. A background is always present sometimes containing more subjects or perhaps a landscape. A lot of the time the whole animal is painted or even maybe a person is included. All of this tells the complete story, This total visual story is the goal of my paintings. Any writing, other than my signature (Covered in the previous Blog Post) I feel would take away from the story, looking out of place and creating clutter.
The animals name is still very important to the piece however, and is always written along with the finish date on the rear of the Paintings support. Also many folks include a small name plate on the frame (if they choose to frame their piece), which proudly states the animals name.
In finality and put very simply, In a Charcoal, the Animals name is part of the piece itself. In a painting, the name is the pieces title and is displayed in its traditional place.
Thank you for reading my Art Workshop Blog. Check back soon for more instructive and informative posts. And of course, please Pet Your Pets for us! Tanner and Cy
