It takes me an average of 3 days to make one of my paintings. It takes a few minutes to manipulate a photo.
In today’s digital age, pet portraits have gained immense popularity as a way to celebrate and immortalize our beloved furry friends. These personalized pieces of art bring joy and nostalgia to pet owners, but there’s a shocking truth that many are unaware of. Behind the guise of traditional paintings, the majority of pet portraits circulating in the market are not actually hand-painted creations but simply massed produced edited digital photographs.
The Rise of Pet Portraits:
The demand for pet portraits has grown exponentially, fueled by our deep emotional connections with our animal companions. These portraits serve as cherished mementos, capturing the unique personalities and bond we share with our pets. Initially, pet portraits were painted by skilled artists like myself who meticulously captured the likeness and character of the animals on canvas. However, the digital revolution has significantly changed the landscape.
The Digital Transformation:
Advancements in technology have made digital alterations more accessible and cost-effective than ever before. With the advent of powerful image editing software, it has become increasingly common to transform ordinary pet photographs into illustrative representations.
There are several reasons why digitally altered photos have become the norm in the pet portrait industry:
1. Efficiency and Convenience: Producing a digital alteration is significantly faster and requires fewer resources than traditional painting techniques. More often than not these are mass-produced in digital sweatshops, where people are paid minimally to apply a set of Photoshop filters to provided photographs. Some do not even do this, they just put paint splotches on top of or in the background, print it and send it back to you!
2. Cost-Effectiveness: Traditional paintings can be expensive due to the artist’s time, materials, and expertise. Once an item simply becomes a commodity the value continually decreases as people doing the same photo manipulation use pricing to compete with one another.
4. Consistency and Reproducibility: With digital alterations, artists can create identical replicas of pet portraits, ensuring consistency in style and quality. This ability to reproduce artwork allows artists to meet high demand, reaching a wider customer base.
Unveiling the Reality:
While digitally altered pet portraits offer a cheap alternative, it is crucial for consumers to be aware of what they are purchasing. Transparency between artists and clients is essential to maintain trust and set accurate expectations. If a pet portrait is marketed as hand-painted artwork, customers should ensure they receive authentic paintings rather than digitally altered prints.
In the world of custom pet portraits, it is increasingly common to find digitally altered photos masquerading as traditional paintings. As consumers, it is vital to be informed and to engage in open communication with artists to ensure the products we receive align with our expectations. Pet portraits will continue to hold a special place in our hearts, celebrating the bond between humans and their animal companions.