Thanks to Batman and Robin, I started drawing when I was six.
Acrylic painting of Retriever field trail champion Patton as shown on a Ducks Unlimited t-shirt
From there, I drew everything or anything that was my biggest craze at the time: From airplanes to astronauts; trains to musicians. If it was a person I was drawing, I was determined to make sure the likeness was exact. I learned by trial and error that a likeness is more than just an exact replica of the person. You have to capture the personality – what’s behind the eyes. You can put a piece of tracing paper down over a photo for example, and not get it. I was never happy if I didn’t get it. So the fact I idolized a lot of major historical and cultural figures actually helped me learn to draw.
By the early 1980’s I was on my own living in Tucson and working the standard 8-5 job which turned out to be very beneficial to an art career I wouldn’t start until 2000. For about 20 years, I seldom did anything with art unless it was specifically for my job. My job involved meeting a lot of the best sporting dogs and trainers in the country. By the end of the 1990’s I was heading to Thomasville, GA on a regular basis. It was dog-central. I became friends with someone who owned a plantation there, and her black labs that were her best friends – and her pointers – became my prime subject material. Many of the dogs and outdoor scenes that are in my paintings are from South Georgia.
My main job is to capture the personality of dogs, horses and their owners in watercolor, graphite or oil. I painted almost every national champion and national amateur retriever champion from 2000 – 2013. I have paintings that are part of the permanent collection of the National Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, Tennessee, and in private collections.
I am a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists.
This web site features the work I’ve been doing over the last 30 years. Thanks for stopping by.
Chris Chantland
Most of my artwork is from commissions and most of these consist of dog paintings or portraits. Most of the dogs are hunt test, field trail, K9 or hunting dogs. But each could actually qualify as a pet portrait because all of these dogs double as faithful family members and companions, and the owners of these dogs think highly enough of them to ask me to capture their likeness and personality.
There are many factors in regards to getting a finished portrait, but the process is rather easy, and I can even help with answering the necessary questions you need to ask before deciding on the scope of the project. Here are some of the basic questions to first ask:
Here are the answers to the above questions. Keep in mind situations can vary, so these are only meant to give you a pretty good idea of how things work in regards to a commissioned portrait:
Do I want one dog or many dogs in the portrait?
Tough getting the right pose.
This question is totally up to you. It may be that the dogs have a special relationship to each other in time, place and to you. But keep in mind that more than one subject can increase the work and cost of the painting. Getting two or more dogs to pose just right can sometimes be challenging. But getting it right is what I do.
Black Labs Graphite Portrait – “Sallie’s Labs”
Do I want a background?
Again – totally up to you. Sometimes, just having “white space” with no detail in a background can make the subject “pop” even more. Backgrounds can be detailed and add to the cost. The key is to make the subject work with the background, and often, that background is a key factor in the painting. It could be that a pond or backyard or hunting blind for example is essential to bring the dog’s memory permanently to life.
How large do I want the finished painting?
Sometimes, the size of the painting is determined upon where you want to hang it. Or it may be that you want it to be a central part of the room, which means it needs to be quite large. But you can go small – as small as 5″ x 7.” Most of my paintings tend to be from about 11″ x 14″ to 20″ x 30.” Size can affect price. Of course, you can opt for horizontal, vertical or square formats.
What medium do I want it painted in?
It’s all preference. If black and white is your thing, graphite is the answer, though I can paint in black and white also. I paint detailed watercolors which require glass, matte and frame. Acrylic is water-based and oil of course is oil. Both these mediums tend to be bolder and more saturated in color than watercolor. You will not want to put glass over acrylic or oil. I varnish the acrylic almost immediately after completion because it is water-based and dries quickly. But some oils can take 3- 6 months to completely dry. After that, you can opt to leave as is, but I usually recommend someone varnish it, which will make the colors pop out even more. It’s not too difficult to find soemone in your area to varnish the painting.
Sometimes, a painting will lend itself to one medium over another, and I can offer advice on this – especially if what you want really lends itself to a certain medium.
What if my dog is deceased?
I’ve done painting of dogs that have passed – simply using a combination of photos – and they don’t have to be perfect photos.
Can you work from one photo?
Yes, but the more the better – especially if I want to get details that might not be found in the main photo. But the main photo doesn’t have to be perfect. I work mainly from photos, but sometimes I take the reference photos myself if it is possible, which also helps me get an idea of the dog’s personality and physical details. Most of my paintings are from a combination of more than one photo.
Can you work within my budget?
Usually. I say usually because I don’t do $100 paintings. There are many mediums, styles and sizes that can make pricing vary.
How much does a portrait cost?
Depends. I’ll offer examples here soon to give you an idea. The rough average cost is around $1000 – $3500.
How does the whole process work?
First of all, I currently do commissions within the US only. Once you have an idea of what you want, I give you a quote. Then 33% of the cost is sent by you to start the commission and this is non-refundable. The other 67% is only due when you tell me you absolutely love the final artwork. If you don’t love the artwork, I keep the painting and you keep the 67%. You simply send a check in most cases. In some cases however, I may send a Pay Pal invoice.
Yellow Lab Portrait sketch
I start by hand-drawing a sketch that sometimes can be a bit rough because I continue drawing while painting. But it will give you what you need to tell me if I’m on the right track. This sketch lets you know if I am getting the dog’s look and personality. It lets you see the format too. Once you give me the OK, you will hear from me when I’m done, unless I need another photo or have to ask a question.
Then I email the final to you and keep in mind that the photo of the final never looks as good as the original. But I do my best to get it as close to the real thing as possible.
Can I make changes?
Try to make them in the sketching stage. But in regards to the final, with watercolors, it is very difficult to make major changes, but often minor ones can be made. With graphite, and especially acrylic and oil, major changes can usually be made. Don’t feel bad about needing to make changes. I’ve found that the customer has always been right when asking for tweaks to the final painting.
How long does this all take?
Depends on size and complexity and if changes have to be made. But if things go relatively smoothly, an 18″ x 28″ oil for example with background can be about 4-6 weeks, give or take a week. I do my best if you have a deadline, and if I don’t think I can make the deadline, will tell you at the beginning.
How do you ship the final painting?
Unless you request otherwise, I ship Fed Ex Ground. You cover the shipping and insurance cost. Each painting is insured and packaged like Fort Knox. A good rough estimate can be $75 – $125. I send a tracking number of course.
Who owns the copyright of the final artwork?
Me. But usually I will give permission if you want to make a copy for a relative or friend. But if I want to make prints or put the image on coffee mugs – or license the image – I can do that without asking permission.