RESTON, Va. — Erica Eriksdotter always paints the eyes first. “The eyes are the most important part,” Eriksdotter said of her hand-painted portraits of dead or dying pets. “The eyes are the windows to ...

For Melissa Swensrud, a painting of her dog, Elsa, hangs in the family room of her Bethesda, Maryland home. To her, the colorful portrait captures Elsa’s sweet and curious personality shortly before ...

Portrait painting is traditionally thought of as a genre of art in which the face, expression and personality of the model are made to be the focal point of the painting. Think of Mona Lisa, American ...

YAKIMA, Wash. — In the more than 50 years since Bill Carnahan created his first two paintings, he has captured thousands of picturesque old barns, landscapes and animals on canvas. Carnahan didn’t ...

Delaney, a black cat as dark and mysterious as his name suggests, winds his way through a labyrinth of canvases in Amy Roach’s home studio. He then quietly settles in a patch of sunshine among the ...

RESTON, Va. – Erica Eriksdotter always paints the eyes first. “The eyes are the most important part,” Eriksdotter said of her hand-painted portraits of dead or dying pets. “The eyes are the windows to ...

The pet portrait industry is thriving in Seattle—and for good reason. There are more dogs than children in this city: around 153,000 dogs to 107,178 kids, according to Seattle magazine (which got its ...

The Paint Place in New York City offers classes to help owners paint the perfect pet portrait Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has ...