Michael Jurogue Johnson

General Information and Guidelines For Taking Photographs

Michael Johnson paints pictures of people's pets by commission. Although he uses photographs to get a general idea of the animal, he does not usually copy the photographs. Michael paints his own ideas about the animal, in a landscape of his imagination.

It helps if the photographs are of good quality and if the poses are reasonable cute or attractive, so Michael can be inspired.

The quality of the painting and the time it takes to complete it will be dependent on your photographs. If the photos are blurred or the pet is a small spot in the background then Michael will have less to work with and the painting will take longer. It is impossible for Michael to hold a magnifying glass and to paint at the same time. It interrupts the flow of his work. Perhaps a zoom lens would be a good asset in photographing your pet.

For pet portraits, Michael needs photographs of both sides of the animal, in different positions (sitting, standing, laying down,) and a close up of the head, showing the correct eye color. A full frontal view of the head and a profile are helpful.

For children Michael needs close ups of the face that are well lit and in focus. Size and clarity are important because Michael needs to trace the child to begin a portrait.

For little animals Michael prefers that the photographs be taken at the animal's own level, not from above. (You might consider using a table or a platform to photograph the pet.)

Please use natural light. Photos taken indoors and with a flash distort the colors of the coat. Photos taken outdoors on a bright but overcast day are ideal. If you have a light colored pet and you take pictures in bright sunlight, the details of the hair or the coat will be lost. If you have a dark colored pet and you take the picture in the shade, Michael will not be able to see his markings.

Using a fill flash on your camera takes away
the shadows on the face and the photo will
show more detail.
For portraits of children Michael needs a few good head shots in jpg format that he can view on the computer monitor. They do not need to be professional photos, just well lit and in focus, so he can draw the child. Please send photographs too... some candid shots of the child sitting on the ground, standing and playing with the pet, so Michael can see the relative sizes.




Please do not write on the backs of the photographs, or stick labels on them. Sometimes Michael needs to look at the photos with a lightbox and printing or labels obscure the image.






Michael removed the distracting background for the final painting








Michael likes to paint flowers. He will use the colors and the flowers of the client's choice as long as the flowers are in season or readily available at his neighborhood florist.





Here is another example of backlighting. Photos that have back lighting are harder for Michael to use.



This one is also back lit. Using forcing the flash on your camera will give the face more detail.

Michael worked with this dark photo , although it took him longer because he could not see the colors very well.



It took Michael a long time to paint this portrait because the colors in the photographs are distorted, the photos are small and they are not in focus. The just kept trying and he didn't give up. The dog on the right passed away and the family is grateful to have a colorful painting to remind them of happy times when the children were small and the dogs were together.

"...thank Michael for his wonderful painting of the kids and Bernese Mountain dogs he did for me. I sent it to my friends right before Christmas and got a wonderful response from them when they received it. In fact, the mother was in tears because she was so moved by the work. I know it will occupy a special place in their home.

I hope you and Michael have a wonderful new year.

Jim Wilmoth"



Some people send color swatches so the painting will match their furnishings and harmonize with their decor. Libby's family picked colors from a Winsor & Newton pigment chart that Michael sent them.

The portrait of Libby, the golden retriever, measures 18" x 24". That is a size that fits comfortably on Michael's work table. He works flat, not with an easel. Michael paints very slowly. When using oil paints he can paint more independently. He can just relax and paint all day and listen to music and go with the flow. When Michael uses acrylics, he has to be reminded to dip his brush in the paint, because acrylics dry quickly and harden on his brush. With acrylics and watercolors Michael is able to achieve greater detail. Smaller paintings are harde for him because of fine motor issues and the greater concentration required.







Payment in full is required at the time that the painting is ordered. Checks should be made payable to Michael Johnson and sent to him at P.O. Box 6157 Evanston, IL 60204-6157.




A small pet portrait may be completed in 2 to 4 weeks. Oil paintings may take as long as 12 to 16 weeks to complete and to dry sufficiently to be shipped safely. Acrylic portraits may take several weeks to several months , depending (a great deal) on the quality of the photos, if additional research is required, the number of subjects in the picture and if Michael has to practice to learn how to draw the animals. The time scale might be affected by other works in progress and by his pro bono work with animal rescue and for the Down syndrome community.

Some people have said that his paintings express simple joy, a child's sense of wonder at the beauties of nature, and that Michael is able to capture the innocence and playfulness of the animals he paints.



General Information and Guidelines for the Medium of the Painting


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