Pooch Photos

I PAINT dogs. Everyday. Sometimes I use my own photos. Usually people send me photos, or they ask me to search their Facebook albums to find the best picture to paint. I've received some criticism on how those photos are used.

IF YOU send me a photo to paint, you own the copyright on that photo and I need your permission to paint from it. When I paint a picture, I own the copyright on the painting. I can now use the painted image of your photo anyway I like. I do not have to ask your permission or give you royalties if I decide to put the image on items to sell, such as prints, mugs, or T-shirts.

I DO sell shirts and such on Cafepress. I get 5% commission on sales. It's pretty minimal. But I like having a theme to paint all the breeds of dogs. I have a "Sitting Tall" theme. I have an "All-Over T" theme, and just recently added a Puppies! theme.

LETS TAKE the All-Over T's for example. I paint those on a 16x16 canvas- because it will print large I need a large image. This is my favorite size canvas on which to paint dog portraits. It sells for $450. If I know in advance that I will be painting your picture and using it for this project, I offer a bonus. Sometimes I offer a free Christmas ornament, but I always offer a 25% discount on the painting. That's a $112 discount.  I do it this way because I can afford to give a discount- I am still making a sale. I cannot afford to give each person a free T-shirt, which would cost me $40 each. (At 200 breeds of dogs- that's $8000.) It's also a great incentive for people to order the 16x16 size, which makes us both happy.