People often wonder how animal fur can be created from fabric. They believe there is no way a flat piece of material with a simple design can transform itself into the soft fluff of a cat’s tail or the thickness of chest hair of a Retriever.

While this month’s blog is by no means a tutorial or the complete A to Z of creating fur, I will show you some first steps through examples within some custom pet portraits and pet memorials I’ve made.

For those of you who are new to this blog, in 2005 I took a class, Abstract Landscapes, at the Vermont Quilt Festival from Karen Eckmeier. Her technique involved cutting strips of fabric and layering them to create a scene. So different from applique or patchwork or paper piecing! The ability to free-cut the pieces and blend them together through layering was so freeing. I adapted her sewing technique and soon was creating animals from reference photos.

Short-haired Fur: Olivia

In examining the above photo of Olivia, it is apparent that the shades of white on her nose are different from those on her cheeks. Neither of these are the same as the white in the shadows under her chin. Also, there are a number of slight differences in the blacks.

On her face (below), I used a black “night sky with stars” for her eyebrows to add a touch of sparkle/undercover fur. If you look at the bridge of her nose, there’s grey there. Sometimes just turning a fabric over uncovers the closest shade of color that I am seeking.

A piece with arching fern leaves gives the illusion of layers and movement over most of her face. The black dotted scraps begin to define the ears.

Since Olivia is a short-haired cat, the pieces for her back were cut in wavy motions using larger strips. The use of patterned strips – leaves, dots, scribbles and a semi-bargello look – add depth to that part of her portrait.

Fluffy Fur – Crosby and Mojo

There are a number of ways I make the fluffs – multi layers of fabric, thread painting, or other fiber, like yarn.

Fabric fur involves cutting out a multitude of fabric and layering it so that the depth of the fur comes through when the material is sewn down. As you can see in the picture below right, there are numerous fluffs of white, cream and tan. I’ve even used light blues or purples to add that illusion of layers.

In case you’re wondering, Crosby’s tongue was one of his “special features” and I was asked to insert it into his mouth.

Mojo is one of the “other fiber” examples. His fluffy chest and neck fur was a puzzle. Do I try cutting up enough thin strips that hang loosely? Should I do a heavy dose of thread painting with variegated threads? Or do I use yarn that has been unwoven to show the volume of his fur?

Below are the fabric and yarn examples.

While the fabric fur captured the looseness of the fur, it also posed a small challenge. In the twisting of the material strands, the underside of the fabric was poking through in some places. Fusing a second piece on the back could have solved that issue yet the strands would have been stiffer.  

The yarn fur pieces hung more like Mojo’s fur. However, the first attempt required so many to fill the chest and neck areas that he looked like a pompom that had been slashed in two. 

Pulling apart the strands of yarn created a fluffier look. Sewing additional strands as undercoat fur helped also with the fullness. Mixing in the greys and browns brought out his colors well.  

There is a bit of thread painting underneath the bottom of the fur. I did not do the whole pillow in thread as the stiffness would not have made for a huggable pillow.

Medium Fur – Gemini and Sophia

Gemini’s fur (above) spoke of arches and movement intermingled with fluff. Fabric with lines, dots, feathers, and ferns can easily create a wavy look. Cutting a piece of batik, following the lines of a pattern can give you a fluffy look (grey above nose).

Brielles’ dog (below) is an excellent example of representing the curve of her ear and the multi-colors of her eye area through fabric choice.

Tips

Let the fabric speak to you.

Look through your stash and pull out anything that corresponds with the fur type/ what you might need for that particular pet.

Forget the names of the fabric colors and look in different bins for what you need.

I have found fur for white dogs in my blue, grey, and purple stashes.

Remember to squint.

Honestly, it helps you see the colors in a different way.

Forget that the design on a fabric is a certain item.

I have made owl feathers from fabric that had designs of loons, mandalas, dahlias, lizards, ferns, and wheat.

Step away from it.

Hang the pinned version on a design wall or pin to cardboard and take a number of steps backwards. Seeing it at a distance helps the colors blend in and/or stick out like a sore thumb. If you’ve worked with a reference photo, pin them close together.
Don’t sew it up right away. Give yourself a day or two for observation and just “sitting with” the piece.

Batiks are your friend.

The amazing part is how many colors and shades batiks pack into themselves. Again, it’s a matter of looking at the patterns and changing colors to see what is there.

The process of creating fur is a forgiving one. Everything can be moved around until it looks just right. Allow yourself the joy of a treasure hunt for fur.

Experiment.

Play.

Create.

From their reference photos to the final pet pillow or wall hanging, a pack of fabric dogs made their way in and out of my studio recently. This group of canine portraits and memorials graced my design wall. I’m pleased to report they all were on their best behavior, even when felines were interspersed between them.

Similar to the blog post Fabric Pet Portraits: A Clowder of Cats, there are certain aspects that are critical to the creation of a dog portrait. These are the reference photograph, background choice, and the interactive part of the creation process. Let’s look at these together.

Mo’s reference photo

Photograph Selection

Sometimes folks know exactly which photograph they want for their art piece. Other times, someone has a number of favorites and needs some guidance seeing what would work better for them, that is, a wall hanging, canvas art, or a pillow. I welcome multiple photos when someone isn’t sure.

I then discuss with my clients the photographs I feel would translate well into fabric pictures and WHY. My distance from the pet allows me a bit more objectivity to see what each photo shares about the beloved animal’s personality.

The pictures below show different possibilities for Sami and Cody. Notice that at the top left, the two photos are enlarged to different sizes. This helped her see the difference between a 16 and 18 inch (41 and 52 cm) pillow since size is another consideration.

Enlargements of different possible reference photos for Sami and Cody

Taking the time to get the photo enlarged and even a second resizing is so worth it. Starting with the best “personality” photo ensures a solid foundational point for all the remaining steps.

The blog post Chosing a Photo for your Pet Portrait talks further about what makes a good photograph.

Backgrounds

When people send me their photos for consideration, I explain that the background of the fabric pet portrait can be (almost) anything.

Some prefer a portrait background for their pet pillow or wall art. At the beginning of the creation process, I lay a cut-out enlarged version of the chosen photo on top of various fabrics of the individual’s chosen colors.

Cody on possible blue fabric, and Sami and Cody auditioning a new blue fabric

In the first photo above you can see one of the blue background choices for Cody. My client initially decided on the green and light blue in the second photo. Upon further consideration, she asked for a dark blue. That fabric is spread out behind the working drafts of Sami and Cody so she could see how it would work with both dogs.

As you can see below, I created each of the dogs with a green and a blue background. I affectionately referred to them as Sami-on-Blue, Sami-on-Green, Cody-on-Blue and Cody-on-Green.

Sami-on-Green and Sami-on-Blue

Does the dog spend its time outdoors walking or hiking with its owner? A scenic background might work best, emphasizing that part of the animal’s personality. These could be a grassy area, mountains with a field in foreground, a lake, or any sort of natural element. Morty (below) is standing in a grassy field by the forest.

This second draft of Morty is all pinned and, having received the client’s stamp of approval, is ready to be sewn. His collar was in the reference photo and its inclusion here adds that pop of color to a predominately tri-toned fabric picture.

Mo (the featured photo at the beginning) started his background with a lake scene. It then changed to a solid piece of spring grass only to evolve into Mo walking through a field with daisies waving in the breeze with mountains in the background. Such a perfect representation of Mo’s Colorado life!

Is there a certain blanket, bed or toy that no one better touch or a playful tug-of-war game might start? Those can easily be incorporated into the pet memorial or portrait picture.

Leslie’s granddog and Winston

The Creation Process

As mentioned in Making a Pet Portrait: Cooper’s Memorial Pillow, the process of creating a pet portrait or memorial involves many progress photos. Each email usually contains a set of “Goldilocks” questions, where I’m checking to see if something is too dark, too light or just right.

I often say the creation of a fabric pet picture can be completed in several days when it’s not a custom portrait. For the most part, somewhere in the multiple fabric bins that line these studio walls, there is a piece that comes close enough to a reference photograph. It is the interactive process that takes a longer time.

An example of tweaking: adding more grass and some daisies

During this interactive process, I’m:

• Finding/cutting each piece of material that’s as close as possible to the pet’s actual fur shape and color.
• Taking photographs at different stages of completion for each body section.
• Emailing those photos to my client with questions about color choices.
• Tweaking the fabric picture based on their responses.
• Sending more photos, tweaking again until first draft is done.
• Emailing first draft photo to client.
• Based on responses to “any more tweaks needed?” making those changes for the second draft.
• When a stamp of approval is given, stiching the portrait together.
• Sending another photo for confirmation that it’s right.
• Selecting backing material with photographs of possible fabric choices.
• Conducting a final photo shoot with studio lights.

Here’s an example of two dogs together

Handled with Extra Care: Dog Memorials

Some thoughts on pet grief…

Whether my client is the individual who has lost their pet or it is a pet loss sympathy gift, there is a somewhat different sense when creating a tribute to honor the life of the beloved pet. The tangible images of a lost pet, whether photograph or art piece, are frozen in time. We can no longer see other new facial expressions or nuanced head tilts. They can’t go to the other room to take a better photograph of their eyes or side view of their face. Capturing the spirit of the pet is so critical.

The loss of a pet is heart wrenching for the owners, neighbors who looked forward to handing out a treat or two, and for the extended family of the owners. There is an emptiness and confusion and even as time passes, there remains a difference within.  Instagram user @thepetpsycholoist has a post that says “Our grief doesn’t grow smaller. We grow around our grief.”

Chip was Susan’s niece’s dog, yet Susan spoke about how she missed “my boy” tremendously. The reference photo had an unusual background, so much so that I seriously doubted I would be able to replicate it or even come close. Then I remembered the white and black paw print fabric that I often use for the backing of pillows. PERFECTO!!

Chip’s reference photo and memorial pillow

The memorial pillow included fleece bedding and Chip’s name on his special dog bed. Even though this was a gift for her niece, Susan shared that when she unwrapped the pillow, she gave him a big hug while thinking “He is home.”

Winston, Cody, and Sami (all above) were also memorial pictures. Winston was a sympathy gift for a friend and Cody and Sami were two sets of memorial pillows for her daughters.

There’s another dog in this Pack!

There is another finished dog in this particular pack of pet portraits and memorials. However, he has not been gifted yet so he will have to wait for his turn in the media spotlight.

In fact, since he is an all-black dog, he probably will be one of the featured pets for my future blog about the one color animals.

As I typed this blog post, he sat there so patiently on my design wall that I had to share just this glimpse of him. You can see a bit of the Colorado mountains in the background. How many different blacks do you see in this portion of his neck?

Actually, it seems as though the “woof-woof” line is working well as more dogs walked into my studio this month. Three are already for their final grooming (being sewn up), three are awaiting for their reference photos to arrive so I can begin working on them, and one is wandering around to see what type of sky he wants to rest under.

There has been a clowder of fabric pet portraits and pet memorials on my design wall this fall/winter. What’s a clowder? Clowder: a group of cats.

Over the 16 years that I have created custom pet portraits and memorials, the overwhelming number of customer requests have been for dogs. However, these past 5 months the number of furry felines I made into pillows or canvas mounted cat art has definitely been a clowder’s worth.
Whether it was a memorial wall hanging, cat pillows for birthday presents, or special Christmas presents, each of these creations delighted the recipient and gave my customers a special warm feeling of gifting a one-of-a-kind pet portrait.

Paul

In creating fabric pet pictures, there are certain aspects that are critical in the creation process of a cat portrait. These are:

• • • Capturing the correct essence of “cattitude”
    • Blending of fur
    • Representing their ever-changing eyes

Here’s how I intertwine these concepts into my pet portrait art:

Cattitude

Frequently I receive multiple photographs for a pet portrait. This allows my client and I to determine the best reference photograph for the personality traits or look of the cat that they want portrayed.

Below are four enlarged photos of Wispa, a recent pet portrait commission. While I received others, these four photographs struck me as the best possibilities. I’ve written the message I interpreted from each photo below.

Far left: the head tilt says “Hey there! Are you going to play with me or what?”

2nd: Paws on chair arm clearly state “We both know who’s queen of the house, don’t we?”

3rd: Eyes down and sitting posture speak of her intention “I’ll pay attention to you after I’m done fluffing myself”

4th: Straight on view whispers “Stare into my eyes and you’ll come under my spell”

My customer narrowed it down to the two on the left. In our email exchange, I spoke about the artistic differences between them. The first one would show off Wispa’s fluffiness on her face and chest area in greater detail, a more intimate pet portrait; the second would project a majestic, yet casual nature. As seen at the beginning of this post, she chose fluffiness.

Just to be clear, any of these photos would have made an amazing pet portrait pillow and surprised the birthday girl to no end.

Wispa’s final reference photo

FABRICating CAT EYES  

As mentioned in two previous blog posts, ( Making a Pet Portrait: Cooper’s Memorial Pillow  and  Their Eyes Speak: Different Techniques for Fabric Pet Portrait Eyes) I talk about how eyes are critical to capturing the essence of any beloved pet. Often this is where I begin laying out the fabric since the eyes then frame the rest of the creation process. 

Shakespeare’s close-up

With solid color eyes as with Shakespeare, an eye itself is usually three pieces of material and thread painting for the eye sparkle. The surrounding eyebrows and eye-circle fur can be just one piece or several appliqued one on another.

The marbling effect of cat’s eyes is captured by finding a scrap fabric that has lines within the pattern or painting that look on fabric. In Paul’s eye below, the tiny vines of green material give just enough contrast to create an impression of marbling. For Iris’s eyes, I painted her eyes and used fabric marker to achieve the depth within her eyes. Both have eye sparkle: Paul has thread for his and Iris uses white acrylic paint.

Iris’s eyes

For memorial portraits, the connection between the cat and owner is often the aspect that my customers choose to emphasize. Being able to look into those adoring eyes and feel warm memories come flooding back can be such a powerful healer. In The Art of Remembrance:Pet Memorials in Fabric, I speak of how healing from pet loss is a journey and creating a pet portrait memorial can be a part of the healing process.

WHISKERS

Some of the recent cats had whiskers that were longer than their faces. It just made me laugh each time I looked at their photos on the studio wall!

Whiskers can be created with thread or fabric markers. I usually do them with thread, just to emphasize the texture.

In Iris’s portrait above, the whiskers are several strands of embroidery thread. I’d like to say it was because I wanted to emphasize the color difference against the dark brown face. That, however, would have required forethought. Nope, this was simply that I forgot to thread paint the whiskers with regular sewing thread.

My options were to either 1) rip open the seams, sew the whiskers on, and resew as a wall hanging or 2) sew the whiskers without disassembling the completed portrait. With my customer’s permission, the whiskers were done with embroidery thread. This was an “oops” that, in my opinion, turned out for the better in the overall design.

Here’s a close up of Gabby’s whiskers. Created with sewing thread, these were done with free motion quilting, a technique where the material is guided by one’s hands as opposed to the feed-dogs of the sewing machine.

The Queen of Whiskers in this round of cat portraits, however, is Wispa. If you compare her pillow at the top of the blog and reference photo, you will see that I didn’t even approach the number of whiskers she has.

Fabric Fur

With cats whose coats are solid, colorpoint, bicolor or tricolor, it is usually easy to find corresponding fabrics. For me, it’s a question of whether I search the Fat Quarter totes first or the Big Lengths totes first. Even some of the tabby cats can be simple to create.

It is the tabbies where the overall color is blended onto a different color background or “field” and the torties and torbies that require a deeper fabric search.

Gabby

As you can see with Gabby, the patterns of the fabrics lend an air of patched fur and give that depth or field. In this portrait, I also used fabric markers to create some black fur lines as well as the dots on her snout.

Here is Iris’s portrait. While she wasn’t created recently, since she was included in this blog post, Iris deserved to have her full portrait to be shown here. The red is a velveteen fabric, soft like the blanket in her reference photo. It just sets off her piercing eyes perfectly.

Via (my cat) and I hope you sign up for the monthly newsletter where I share studio updates. As Head Supervisor, she even has her own section now.

In January of this year I enrolled in a 5 day on-line animal portrait class with Susan Carlson, an amazing fabric collage artist. Besides being in awe of her artwork over all these years, I wanted to stretch myself as an artist by learning a new fabric collage portrait technique and creating a larger-than-life art portrait.

The Beginning: A Photograph, a Line Drawing and Susan Carlson’s Master Class

I went back and forth regarding my reference photo. Would it be a stunning red fox, a great horned owl, or a barn owl?
While I have done birds before, the fox seemed like it wouldn’t be that much different than the pets I do now. Of course, there was the possibility of making it in blue or purple. I eventually settled on the great horned owl because of the multitude of feathers and its vibrant colors.

In preparation for Susan’s Pre-Class Coaching session, I traced an outline from the reference photo. The balance of not enough details versus having too many details took me a couple attempts to master. I felt like Goldilocks. One attempt had pieces too big, another too small and then, just right. The screenshot below on the left is from my pre-class coaching session with Susan.

Too little detail, then just right

The other parts of the pre-class homework were to gather up a palette of possible fabrics, enlarge my line drawing, trace it onto muslin, and to watch the videos in Susan’s Fabric Collage Online Master Class. I can’t possibly put into words how invaluable this series of videos was. Susan adeptly breaks down each of the steps in creating a fabric collage. While familiar with some of her techniques from her blog, this master class put it all together with step by step videos.

In spite of having created pet portraits for over 12 years, that whole week prior, I definitely had a case of the new student/new school jitters. There were moments of “could I do this?” and “what happens if I’m too slow?” and “what if I can’t combine the colors correctly?” Yes, those mindset gremlins that delight in blocking my creative process were running rampant.

There was a “meeting” the evening before class started. After introductions, I felt as if I was in the presence of the Sorting Hat (Harry Potter reference) as I waited nervously to hear which group/room I would be with. Turns out there were 5 of us who were creating creatures that flew – two owls, two butterflies, and one bee. (Spoiler: this was the perfect group for me.)

Great Horned Owl Head: Day One

Each morning and afternoon began with a mini-lecture/ demonstration from Susan talking about a certain aspect of our creative collage journey. She would then “go” from room to room, commenting on our progress individually, answering questions and providing encouragement. In the course of a day, she came to each room three times minimum. At each break, her husband Tom would “call out” for photos of our progress and he’d quickly take everything we sent him and place it in each of our individual folders for Susan to reference when she came to each of us.

Susan had us start with the eyes/nose area of the face, if there was one. (The bee portrait had a great bee butt instead of a face, as that was deep inside the flower.). As the day went on, there was a huge shift inside me. I went from “Can I keep up/ do this?” to “Look at me. I’m doing it.” I think that evening I sent photos to all my friends and family. I was just so excited by this new technique.

The morning session, and by the end of the day

Owl Face Crown, Ear Tufts, and Beak: Refining Everything

Screenshot of areas to be corrected

By day three, I realized there were things that, in my vision, just absolutely need changing before I worked my way down to the chest feathers. And if that meant I didn’t finish Olivia completely in class that would be fine. I needed to work on and receive feedback on those areas.

Not sure if you can spot things besides Susan’s correction (marked in white in the photo above) but here is what I focussed on:

1. The direction of the crown feathers (dark blue) was wrong. They were vertical and should be horizontal.
2. There were no lightish color feathers to define her face.
3. Ear tufts were too tropically yellow. It needed muted color there and more variation in the darker colors.
4. The owl’s left side (our right) of face wasn’t built out enough. She had no neck at all there.
5. There was too much black on one side of her beak and the surrounding feathers were too dark.

In the first photo below, you can see that I shifted the direction of the loons in the crown (dark blue fabric) and added small golden pieces that matched the golden part of the ear feathers. In the second photograph, I lightened up the area all around the beak. (FYI – I changed it up a third time after class was finished.)

Ear tuft and beak close up

Adding depth to the eyes was an interesting process. It was a freeing experience to create an eye that was 3 to 10 times bigger than my usual size. The level of detail often called for tweezers for the correct placement. I remember exclaiming outloud “wow” when I stepped back to look at the revisions.

There are 17 different pieces of fabric that make up this eye.

Creating Feathers from Fabric

Part of Susan’s technique is to cut the individual pieces following the markings from the original enlarged outline. Having the markings on the muslin meant all one has to do is place the fabric piece over the area and lifting up the edges, slowly cut along the marking lines. While the picture below appears to follow my outline, there were times when I took a shortcut or two and didn’t exactly follow every single line.

The picture below shows when I was working on the white feathers that distinguish Olivia’s face from her chest. Here you have a better view of the blue loons that are in her crown. I also deliberately put in several pieces with additional creatures. Can you spot one?

This also is an excellent example of how one can use unrelated patterned fabrics to achieve a particular look. The ruffled fronds of the ferns give a layered and fluffy appearance. It also was important to have several particular fabrics appear throughout her body. The fabric at the base of her crown (see above left) is repeated on the side of her head and again as a feather.

Creating her chest feathers was fun, almost like a treasure hunt. Glancing at the reference photograph, I would begin a search amongst the fabrics on the table. Once found, I’d hold different pieces up for their “audition.” At one point I realized that if I kept on going, the overall work would be 36 by 48 inches (.9 by 1.2 meters) and decided to shift to working on her background.

Closeup of feathers of Olivia’s neck and lower head

Background: Where Will Olivia the Owl Live?

During this creation process, I kept “listening” to see if I could hear where Oliva came from. The more of her that appeared in front of me, the stronger the call of the forest came through. She wanted to be in her home habitat but not specifically where she nests.

What I like about the chosen fabric is that the variegated colors remind me of the light filtering through the trees, complimenting the golden colors of Olivia.

Olivia is tacked in place with glue (Susan’s technique). The next steps for this piece are to quilt her. I am unsure if I will then stretch the art work over canvas (similar to below) or make it as a wall hanging.

Follow-up: In Susan’s Blog, Going to the Dogs, and More

As part of her class process, Susan always creates at least one blog about her classes. And her online class was no different. Imagine my utter delight when the blog that featured our ”Winging It” group appeared in my inbox one Saturday.

In the end, I was thankful that I didn’t create a dog, cat, or the red fox. The Great Horned Owl stretched me artistically. What is helpful is that the blog posts of the two other groups, “The Colorful Canines” and “Crazy Fur Sure,” are there to give me inspiration for when I do my first feline or canine using Susan’s techniques.

Size comparison to previous pieces, partial fabric selection, and adjusting feathers for photo shoot.

Taking Animal Fabric Collage with Susan was an awesome experience. Besides being a skilled artist, Susan is also an inspiring teacher, who is extremely invested in her students. The teamwork between Tom Allen (her husband) and Susan was incredible. Tom orchestrated receiving multiple photographs from each student, multiple times each day, and getting our work set for when Susan came into each breakout room.

Interested in seeing more techniques? I already have written a blog post, The Making of Cooper, about the technique I had used for over 12 years. 

One of the most difficult things for people to do is to choose the exact photograph that they would like made into a pet portrait or pet memorial by me. At art shows and craft fairs, folks pull out their phones and scroll through endless photos, while sharing with me the wonderful traits of their pets. Each photograph tells a different story. Each story has a different aspect of their beloved animal that they want to incorporate into the final fabric art picture.

Folks usually try to find one picture that has ALL the following:

• Their favorite photo
• The background that is their pet’s favorite space (outdoors, on a blanket)
• The twinkle in their pet’s eye when they’re just about to be mischievous
• The tilt of their head
• The way their tongue stuck out
• The twist of an ear
• That special memory of an animal that has passed

In my years of experience, most people will never find ONE photo that incorporates all of that. And that is perfectly fine. Everything listed above and more can be incorporated from multiple photos into a final product that is just what was envisioned.

This blog post will show some of the ways to overcome what looks like an obstacle: choosing the perfect photos.

Pet portraits: Combining photos

This is Clairabelle. Her endearing characteristic is her ear flip (right photo). However, the pose and facial look that her owner wanted was in the left photograph. Absolutely no problem to make that come true.

Also if the final portrait is to be of multiple animals, they do not need to be in the same photo, or facing in the same direction, or even the same perspective in terms of height. The magic of digital manipulation allows me to flip direction or decrease/ increase photo size. Using the enlarged black and white photos as patterns can bring the animals together in one fabric picture.

Ruby obviously is not as tall as Edward, although she believes she is.

Pet portrait background: Their favorite place and/or season

Tanner was a “snow dog” so it was important that the memorial portrait have him in the snow. I laid out several versions of snow with different snow skies. The photo on the right is the one they chose as it had just enough sparkle to be the new fallen snow. When scenic backgrounds are created, I lay the enlarged reference photo on the material so the customer can sense what the finished piece will look like with that backdrop.

Winky was a gift from a mom to her adult daughter. When the daughter and I began the process, she wanted him to be outside with mountains in the background as hiking was one of their favorite activities together. The middle photo shows the first draft with the enlarged reference photo. I was going for western mountains and Colorado skies. It also has two different sky choices – pieced greys or cloud fabric. She asked for an autumnal tone to the mountains and chose the pieced grey background. Obviously Winky is still in the draft stage in the last picture.

I’ve helped pets snuggle on a favorite chair, hide in the grass, and walk amidst a field of flowers to give you more examples of background choices.

Pet portraits: Adding special toys or accessories

Ruby doesn’t go very many places without her ball. Brody loves his bandana. Edward insists on having his two toned bone. Cassie always wore a sweater unless it was summertime.

Many of our pets have that special accessory that is unique to them. To create a portrait without that object sometimes just doesn’t feel right. Again, it is relatively easy to weave those things into the pet portrait.

Sometimes it is challenging to get that added detail correct. Benny usually had his flag bandana around his neck. However, each different flag material and bandana position didn’t look quite right. So in the end, we decided the important thing was the presence of the flag. Benny’s bandana is resting on the grass while he says hello to that outstretched hand. How fitting as this was a memorial to him.

And here are some other things to consider when selecting a portrait for your pet portrait or pet memorial.

Pet portraits: Basics for photos

• • The sharper the clarity of the original photo, the better image I have when enlarging the photo to be my pattern. This is particularly helpful for facial features.
  • I will only work from a professional photo with written permission from the photographer. I value and respect the work of fellow artists.
  • Digital copies are preferred, however I will work from printed photographs or copies of those prints. I usually end up cropping photos, that is eliminating the distractions around the pet, and enlarging their face/body.
  • When in doubt, send several photos. This helps me get a feel for the animal’s personality.

Here are their finished portraits!

Hopefully this post has inspired you to rethink what can be done from your photos and how multiple ones can be combined into the most awesome pet portrait or pet memorial for yourself or as a special gift.  

Still have questions, contact me at martha@thequiltedjardin.com.  Interested in a pet portrait or memorial? Check out the customs section on my website.

“Good morning! I was looking for a class to take with my mother-in-law… in early March and didn’t know if you were offering one?! It’s her birthday and it’s been some time since both of us have dusted off our machines.”

Back in early 2019, I received the above email and thus began my first pet portrait class. 

Emails flew back and forth as we ironed out details. I talked about my teaching style. While they would work from a photo, they would be layering instead of piecing and they’d make their “pattern pieces” from the enlarged photo or freehand. Since some people feel they cannot sew without pre-printed pattern pieces, I make a point of explaining this. Sometimes a student’s feelings of “I can’t do this” are so overwhelming that while the individual may have a great vision, they just can’t make that first experimental cut into the fabric.

Leah was thrilled since she had always wanted to try fabric art and was happily discussing possible pets for her portrait. The more emails we sent back and forth, the more excited she got. “… (this) out of the box opportunity was just too great to pass up!!” She shared that her mother-in-law might be a bit hesitant as to whether or not she could do this new art form. I said something to the effect of between the two of us, she’ll be fine.

Their photos enlarged and pinned on my design wall, waiting for them when they arrived.

Pet Portrait Class Preparation

The list of supplies and tools for the day was emailed. I requested the photos they were considering as reference photos ahead of time so I could see if there was anything that might be too advanced for a first attempt.

“So as you are thinking of what photo you’d like to recreate in fabric, try to first pick one that “speaks to” you. It could capture a certain look of your pet or just have a special memory. The clearer the picture is, the easier it will be to work with… however, we can work with ones that aren’t that clear if we have other photos to reference.”

Knowing their choices prior to class day allowed me to get the photos enlarged. I pulled out class material from years ago when I was teaching Beginning and Intermediate Fabric Art Quilts at Saratoga County Adult Continuing Education, reworked some of it, and into folders it went.

Betsy and I had a number of emails discussing her reference photo possibilities. Irises, sunsets, or her Mickey. While she wasn’t confident that she could make a black cat out of fabric look anything like her Mickey, I had enough confidence for both of us, so Mickey it was. The fact that Mickey was transitioning through that end-of-life time of his life added a poignant dimension to the whole process.

“So, just something to be aware of, as you choose colors for your picture when you are here with me, go for what speaks to your heart/ soul. It’s okay to cut fabric up, put it down, and if something isn’t right, take that fabric off and cut up something else. And then something else… and then go back to the first one. I call it ‘auditioning’ the fabric.”

The day before Betsy wrote: “She (Leah) is so much fun and we have a great time when we are together. This class will be so much fun with the 3 of us!!!” It’s nice knowing one’s students are excited before we even start.

Fabric Art Creation Day

This mid-February day began (and ended) with no snow, so that was a joy. Leah was coming down south 3 hours and Betsy had to come over the mountain, which can be treacherous in winter storms. The day began with setting up their machines, followed by information about different techniques, and then the making began. Pet portraits can be made as wall hangings, mounted on canvas, or as pillows. They both chose to make theirs as wall hangings.

Similar to what is in my blog post, Making a Fabric Pet Portrait: Cooper’s Memorial Pillow, the second copy of the enlarged photo was cut out in muslin for the base. Each part (ears, jaw, face, mane) was also cut out to be the pattern for that particular area.

What always is interesting to me is to watch the approach individual students take when they begin to add color on top of that muslin base. Some approach it with abandon, quickly rummaging through their fabrics, choosing what feels right quickly and cutting away with the scissors; others lay out all the material choices around the base, move them around a number of times, step back, make some changes and even then, hesitantly make that first cut. Both styles were present in this daughter/ mother-in-law pair.

Leah worked on her horse, Moon. She had initially written to me: “I have an old man (27 years young) black (graying though) horse who I’ve owned for 22+ years and was thinking of maybe doing something of him. I didn’t know how difficult doing a BLACK animal would be though.” I had sent them photos of different completely black animals I had done and I suspect that helped move the needle. She wanted to have it be whimsical and magical as this gentle creature exudes that essence. Her material choices reflect that vision.

Note how the fabric choices portray the fanciful nature of her horse

For Mickey, I recommended that Betsy start with the head and eyes first. Often just having a complete face cut out allows students to go forward with more conviction and confidence.

We talked about how to get the shine in his coat from different black fabric, how to show the contours of his body through patterns in the material, and how taking a photo of the work helps one see what sometimes is missed with your eyes.

The first draft of Mickey pinned. Notice how the pattern in the face material adds depth to his face.

Both Leah and Betsy worked diligently through the morning. Leah and I had previously arranged to have a luncheon meal here due to the fact it would save time and it was Betsy’s birthday weekend. Leah brought soup and bread; I made salad and had some cupcakes from my daughter, Fancy Pants Cakes. The food break served them well, and then they continued their cutting and Leah began sewing her art piece.

Leah sewing her pet portrait, and Betsy practicing the machine applique stitch.

Since Betsy wasn’t sure what she wanted to do for her background, I had her practice the blanket stitch on a flower shape that I had left over from my previous classes.  

Creating the Pet Portrait Background: Six Months Later

I received an email from Betsy wondering if she could come over to work with me on the background for Mickey. She had some ideas, yet she wasn’t sure whether or not the colors worked well enough. So over the mountain she came with a basketful of material and Mickey, the fabric Mickey, that is.  

Betsy spoke of how during these months she had received compliments from friends and co-workers on her portrayal of Mickey. A number of them had encouraged her to finish it. “It’s going to be amazing!” they said.

Betsy knew she wanted her cat to be outside on grass with a soft sky in the background. She auditioned a number of grass materials. We dug into my scrap drawers and fabric bins to add to her sky options.  

Watching Betsy cut out the strips for the sky brought a smile to my face as there were no patterns for the layers of the atmosphere, just freehand cutting. She was doing what six months ago seemed impossible and doing it well. Most importantly she felt good about her progress. 

Mickey in the grass at sunset.

A Finished Pet Portrait: Mickey at Home

Almost a year from when we had the class, I received the photos below.  Mickey was finished and had his place of remembrance and honor in Betsy’s new house.

Musings on Fabric Art

I know how challenging it can be for people new to art quilts and fabric collage to overcome the mindset gremlins. I have been there.  

There was a time in my art and business journey when I had convinced myself:

I couldn’t put colors (fabric) together correctly.

Without any formal art training, my work would never be good enough. 

I wouldn’t learn to create pets that look real enough.

I couldn’t paint eyes or noses.

I couldn’t do Instagram, create a monthly newsletter, or write a blog.  

What I found out over time:

I can combine colors together well when I listen to the fabric speaking to me.

I can view fabric with different eyes, seeing shapes within patterns and colors.

My skill set improved through practice and the many portraits I created.

Practice works. 

I enjoy writing/sharing my art journey, observations, and techniques with others.

A joyFULL art piece is as valuable as one that is technically correct

When you create from the heart, it all falls into place.

These days when there is something new for my business, my phrase is “ I haven’t learned how to do that YET.”  And when those “You Won’t Ever Be Able to Do That, Martha” gremlins come marching up to my door, I invite them in, acknowledge the fear and doubt that surrounds them, and send them on their way gently with a “Oh but I will. I will learn it over time. You don’t need to protect me from failure. It won’t be perfect at first and I will keep improving the more I do something.” 

I can hear the Pinterest gremlins in the distance. I am armed with my “I haven’t learned Pinterest, YET” shield.

How Do You Create The Pet Portrait Eyes?

“They look so real” and “It looks as if his eyes are following me when I move to sit in his favorite chair” are some of the comments I’ve received on custom pet portraits or pet memorials over the years. 

My creation process for animal eyes over time has gone from solid black fabric blobs to two layers of fabric, thread “eye sparkle,” and now painted eyes. Let me share some observations and tips from travelling the pet faces pathway.

Multi-Fabric Eyes Have More Life than Solid Colored Ones

In a previous post Making a Pet Portrait: Cooper’s Memorial Pillow, I mentioned how I use enlarged black and white copies of the reference photo as my patterns. For the eyes, in the beginning years I would cut out the whole eye, pin that to black fabric, and cut out an eye. I would either attach it with a blanket stitch (looks like a ladder with one pole missing) or zigzag stitches.

As you can see, from when I first began making portraits, the animal doesn’t have that extra spark with this technique.

Both the dairy cow and Beckett below have two-tone eyes. Adding fabric around the eyes also helps them stand out. If you look closely, the cow has a bit of eye sparkle done with a fabric marker.

Create The Animal’s Eyes First

The other thing I used to do was create the whole animal and then add the eyes. Looking back, that made it more challenging for folks to provide the best feedback to me when their beloved pet wasn’t looking at them. While I knew my vision and what it would look like, my client often couldn’t see it. Crumb, below, illustrates this point. It’s hard to give feedback on the face colors when there are no eyes as a reference point.

Right around this time was when I also started consistently adding eye sparkle, using thread and a zig-zag stitch. Again, Crumb shows you how it’s done.  

Give Yourself the Gift of Grace in the Creation Process

My experience from 2017-2019 was that there were times when a pet’s eyes turned out well and there were times when they were simply outstanding. I wanted that outstanding level to be more frequent.

I learned that working on eyes in the morning produced the best results, as that’s my most productive time. I extended the process over a day or two if necessary to allow for observation and reflection time. Referring back to the original color photo on the computer for specific intricate details helped tremendously. And I learned to keep searching for the right eye color fabric because it’s here in my fabric stash somewhere.

Several of the artists I admire paint eyes and I thought about doing that for two years. Why so long? When I first started my business, it took me several years before I could accept the fact I was an artist. In my world, an artist had to have formal training, be able to draw from scratch and in a medium like paints, and, well…. the artist is/does list was very long. I kept thinking I had to go to a class with an expert animal fabric artist or painter to learn how to do painted eyes, and then COVID hit.

The #100DayProject, organized by Joanne Hawker, was a perfect opportunity to work on art for 100 days. While I made only 26 animals/animal eyes before gardening season started, I definitely developed confidence in painting eyes. Those creations rested at the top of my design wall for over a year.

This year I did the same challenge and allowed myself the grace to:

• Only work 20 minutes a day instead of finishing a whole animal each day
• Concentrate on the process, not the product
• Have fun, knowing I can do this.

So how did I do it, you ask? I traced the eye shape onto muslin fabric and with the photo on my left, I put small blobs of acrylic paint on a paper plate and slowly mixed them together, attempting to match the many colors in each eye. When it was close, I painted the part of the eye on the fabric that had that specific color. In some cases, I’d let it dry before adding the next color; in others I’d let it bleed into the bottom color a bit.

The trick for me was to keep walking away and coming back as that seemed to give me the best perspective on the detail coloration. Most of the painted eyes you see in this post took 2-3 days to come together, with maybe only 5-10 minutes each day. I think that had more to do with my slow developing confidence in the process, rather than anything else.

The Process That Works for You is the Right Way

This for me is the greatest learning from my 86 days (so far) of learning to paint eyes. I finished my first commission with painted eyes; I truly like how Deery and Fauna look.

I may use paint eyes from here on out; I may go with my tried and true fabric method instead. I likely will offer clients the option of fabric or paint.

The most important thing is that something I thought I couldn’t do (paint eyes), I discovered that yes, I can do it. The bonus is I really, really like what I’ve done.

Two Different Techniques: Fabric or Painted Polar Bear Eyes

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen the Polar Bear, one of my WIPs (works-in-progress). Originally I had done her eyes in fabric and then I tried painting them. Here’s the comparison.

Different techniques, different effects.  What’s your preference?

Triple New News 

There a number of new things that happened at The Quilted Jardin this month!  

This blog post outlined the first bit of news – that folks now have an option of painted or fabric eyes for their pet portraits or memorials. 

The online store launched on May 6th with the following collections:

• Pet Collection
• Veggie Collection
• On the Farm Collection (farm animals)
• Birds of a Feather Collection
• Special Pieces (covered bridges, custom sunflowers, and more)

The monthly drawing for choice of a free 8″x10″ nature-themed matted fabric picture or set of 3 nature-themed cards is beginning in June for email subscribers only. 

Sign for the email newsletter to learn about upcoming happenings, be entered for monthly drawing,  and hear when special subscriber-only discounts happen.  

Q: How do you turn all those pieces of fabric into a picture of my dog?
A: One step at a time, one step at a time.

Let me walk you through the process of the co-creation of a pet portrait, using a recent example of Cooper. First, here’s some background information. The woman who commissioned Cooper’s memorial portrait saved my business postcard for 2 years. When her daughter’s family lost their beloved furry companion, she knew this would be the perfect sympathy gift for the loss of such a devoted pet. She wanted a pet memorial pillow of “the sweetest boy ever.”

Step 1:  The pet’s photograph

A portrait piece or pet memorial is created from a photo, usually sent to me digitally. I will not create a portrait from another artist’s work or any copyrighted or trademarked design unless I have written permission from the artist/ photographer.

The sharper the picture is, the easier it is to recreate. Receiving several images is helpful as I look to see which of those matches up best with the pet’s personality as described to me. Frequently that comes forth in the eyes but sometimes I can see it in the ears, a tilt of the head, or the tongue.

Step 2:  Logistical Questions

What will the final product be? A pillow, an art piece mounted on canvas, a wall hanging, a matted picture or a finished piece that will be framed?

Will this be a headshot, full body or partial body portrait? For example, a full body would lose details in a 12×12 inch (31×31 cm) size.

What size will the final product be? The smallest custom size is canvas-mounted at 12×12 inches (31×31 cm); the largest portrait to date is 40×36 inches (102×91 cm). My largest work to date (view of mountains outside) was 9 feet by 9 feet. I can make any size! 

By when is it needed?  Knowing the date it needs to arrive at its destination allows me to fit each order into my schedule. If there are any potential conflicts, I send an email outlining when I could start, such as “The soonest I could begin your order would be 3 weeks from now. Does that work for you?”

Is this a gift? If so, I offer several options. 
1. I can create a finished piece.
2. I can work through a first draft, completing the process with the giftee.
3. With the purchase of a gift certificate, I can work directly with the giftee. 

Step 3:  Background for a dog or cat portrait

There are times when the existing photo background is just perfect and I translate that into fabric mountains, water, a deck or whatever is there. Other times folks tell me what they envision. “He accompanies me on so many walks in the Colorado hills, Can you do that?” It could just be a portrait background. The color choices are made by the customer. If a light blue is desired, I’ll send a photo with all the light blue fabrics I have so the client can choose.

Different backgrounds: Winky the Boxer and his Colorado hills, and Moxie in front of a perfect orange background.

The good part is that, until I start sewing, the background is only pinned and can be switched out further down the line.

Because Cooper was to be on a pillow, she chose to go with a head shot. I suggested we use the photo of him in the leaves as his expression spoke of his love of the outdoors and his “sweet nature.” She chose green fabric for the background as he would have been lost with the autumn tones of the original photo.    

Step 4:  First pet portrait draft – Flowered pins, Goldilocks questions, and tweaking

I have bins and bins of fabric. There are ones for medium and bigger sized fabric (fat quarters and yard lengths) and then there are drawers that just hold scraps. Before beginning, I will comb through all of these to find all the fabrics that are represented in the selected reference photo.

Since Cooper’s fur looked different in each of the photos, I arranged four different hues from which she selected the initial fabrics.

Having enlarged the dog or cat’s portrait to a black and white photo of the appropriate size, I cut a muslin base of their face or body using that photo as my pattern. That helps me have a framework within which to place the body material.  It sometimes happens that the initial fabric choices are not correct. For Cooper, even though two of the three photos had him with darker, rusty fur, it became obvious that these fabric colors weren’t his.

You can see the white base in the 2nd photo. The colors weren’t correct in the first cutting.

There are two different methods I use for cutting the fabric pieces. Let me call them “freestyling” and “traced.” Freestyling is where I cut out the pieces of the animal from the enlarged photo. This gives me the exact correct shape of a particular body part, i.e. ears. Then I eyeball the different colorations within that shape and cut fabric to represent those fur shades or colors.   This tends to give a more representative look, more feeling/soulful than photographic. The other method is where I trace each of the different color/shade changes in the enlarged photo onto paper. These then become a pattern piece. I used the freestyling method for Cooper.

The eyes, oh the eyes. I’ve learned over time to begin with the eyes. When a pet’s personality is captured in the eyes from the beginning, the viewer can see more of him/ her in each of the steps when I ask for feedback. The eye sparkle, that “twinkle in their eye” is done with thread. Eyes are currently created with fabric although I am learning to express eyes with acrylic paints.

The dark brown eyes often blend in with the overall eye look, yet it’s there. The “twinkle” shown here was fabric so she could get the idea of what it would look like with thread. Eyebrows have not been added yet.  

Now it’s just a matter of auditioning the right fabric piece, cutting and placing, over and over again. I no longer pin at this stage unless the piece is very tiny. I go for the “overall at-a-squinty distance” look. Often I’ll take a photo to see if I’m even close to declaring it a first draft.

Next I send a first draft email with 1) a statement of the things I know I still have to fix, 2) a list of questions, and 3) several photos. I use pins with flower heads to refer to a particular piece of fabric. “Is the yellow flower pin too light, too dark, or just right?” These are the Goldilocks questions. I’ll also ask what else do I need to tweak?  Note, this isn’t a “Do I need to?” question; I know there are other things that could enfuse his/her personality into this pet art piece. 

Step 5:  Second draft and maybe more 

This is when the magic really happens. Usually this is filled with a number of photos/ emails/ responses going back and forth. A customer’s input is critical to this part of the portrait creation process so I can finesse the fabric details. 

The first picture is the 1st draft. Each of these flowered pins represented a question I had for her. The second picture is the 2nd draft. Notice that colors were changed around his snout.    

Step 6: The sewing begins 

Once I’ve received a stamp of approval, it’s time to sew it all down. Most of my work is sewn with a blanket stitch. In Cooper’s case, he was completely sewn except for his snout after his second draft. It took a few more tries before the snout was just right.

Cooper’s chest getting sewn.  You can see his tongue sticking out.

Step 7: Finishing

Once I get a final thumb’s up, a pet portrait is ready for the finishing process. That could be sewing the back and hanging sleeve for a wall hanging, stapling it on and attaching the hanging wire for a canvas-mounted piece, or sewing the back of a pillow. In Cooper’s case, she chose a paw print fabric for the back with a memorial heart pocket for his collar.  

Step 8:  Homeward bound –  The photo shoot, wrapping, and trip to the post office

Each of my pet portraits gets their own official photo shoot (studio lights and all) since I want a good picture of each of these fabulous pets with whom I’ve spent some time. 

Then each is wrapped in paw print tissue paper, tied with paw print ribbon, and placed in a USPS Priority Mail box. It’s just a hop, skip and a jump to my local post office where the insured order is on its way. I then send an email with the expected delivery date.  

I always appreciate it when folks send me a photo of the portrait in its home.  And here, my friends, is Cooper watching over his family.

I would be delighted to create a custom pet portrait or memorial for you or someone you know. Feel free to share my blog, and contact me at any time to start the conversation.