I did not start marketing myself as a “Pet Portrait Artist” until I had done enough portraits of pets to claim it as a specialty. Now, it seems like I have been doing them forever, but truthfully, it has only been a few years.

Early on, when I started doing portraits of animals, I had a handful of people ask me to paint portraits of their children with their pets. The image above was one of these. I have not shown it before now, as the parent requested that I not show it publicly for the privacy of the child. Now that she is years older, it is not an issue.

Since then, I have been painting select paintings of children, and I have really enjoyed it. I feel, at this time, that I can now claim child portraits as a specialty, so I have decided to market myself as a “Child Portrait Artist” in addition to being a “Pet Portrait Artist”.

My portfolio for these portraits is not as large. Some of the images are from my Okey’s Promise public art projects. But I thought I would share them on my new Custom Portrait Paintings of Children page.

I hope to grow the new portfolio through new commissions. And to kick it off, I will be holding an introductory offer of 15% off all child portrait commissions between now and 2/15/13! Portraits can include one child or more. Add a beloved pet to the portrait for a truly special artistic memento!

Do you have a special child that you would like to have immortalized in a piece of fine art? Now is your chance! I look forward to creating a portrait for you.