Pet Portraits

Hi there, first grade friends and art fans!  We are going to talk a bit today about pet portraits. First, we know that a PORTRAIT is a picture of someone, so, it goes without saying that a pet portrait is a portrait of your pet.  A while back, I was stumbling around on the internet, and I found this artist, Carol Lew , who makes her living painting "fancy, Old World" portraits of animals, and I thought they were hilarious and adorable.  What a great idea!  So today, we are going to use Carol Lew as a bit of inspiration for some fancy animal drawings.

First you must decide on your animal.  We will be drawing a "typical" portrait, so really only need your animal to be drawn from the shoulders up (just as if it was your animal's school picture).  Draw big, and remember, EVERYTHING (every animal) can be drawn using simple shapes.

Once your animal has been drawn, think about a costume....is your pet going to be a musician? Artist? Actor?  Superhero?  Business person?  King or queen?

If you are wondering about how to make other animals, there are many resources on how to draw animals online, using simple shapes.  Just search for "step by step simple animal drawing".  Or try on your own! If at first you don't succeed, just keep trying.  You'll only get better with practice.  Happy art making!