Another great reference photo! Taken inside but the lighting, mood, and the true animal's colors are there. The colors that bounce off the windows and curtains reflect on the animal which makes image coherent and compliment each other. If this is drawn in black and white, the color won’t matter but will still add nice toning to the drawing. Face (and eyes!) are in focus and background is slightly blurred, making the animal the star of the show!
This is an example of a great reference photo! The animal is in focus, I am able to get a lot of detail from the face and personality of the animal. The subject is in natural lighting and as a result, the color of the animal shows and I’m able to get as accurate as I can with making this animal jump off the page! This photo also shows a great depth of field in both background and animal, with the face being the main focal point. Eyes are super important!! <3
Great Quality References'
A great photo of a black cat! All black animals in general, are hard to photograph and draw because it's easy to say "well its just one color" and call it a day. But that's not reality. This reference shows more of the color changes in the fur, has adequate lighting and the eyes/face are in focus (eyes are key to any photo!). Also being level with the animal is a great feature to have so it's not at some wonky perspective that the artist has to deal with, but that can't always be avoided.
Decent Quality References'
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This photo is ok to use for reference. I’d recommend staying away from using flash for photos as it tends to wash out details and colors. It’s better to get the subject in natural lighting for best results. Photo is a little blurry but can still make out some important details to pull the image together.
This reference is decent with poor lighting. As the subject was under a table, it proved difficult to get a good picture. What is good about this is that the face is still in focus even for being as dark and blurry as it is. I am still able to make out details that I can use to my advantage, but additional reference may be needed for correct coloration of the animal.
This reference is again ok enough to use. It would be helpful to have additional photos for more information. Looks like a filter was used after the photo was taken- decent lighting. Try to refrain from using filters in your photos if it’s the photo you want me to use for your pet portrait!
An example of a poor/bad image. The subject is in an unflattering position, in poor lighting and very blurry. Though a photo like this would be funny, I would not be able to get hardly any if at all detail from the subject for a drawing.
Another example of a poor/bad photo. The original photo itself was small which makes it harder to work with to get out details. Photo is extremely. Make sure your photos are in a medium to large file format to get the best out of your photograph so that In the end, it is easier for the artist to work with and be happy to work on and the client will in return get an amazing drawing!
Poor Quality References'
Though this photo may look fine at first glance, it is actually really pixelated. Zooming in and bad lighting are likely the cause for photos like this one. I would not recommend a photo like this, especially for black cats because it's so easy to get lost in their fur and so easy to make it all flat black. But there is actually a lot more colors that can be put into their fur. Please see the beginning photos for better representation for a black cat/animal.