Disclaimer – This post is sponsored by Canon. All opinions are 100% my own.
Every morning Will asks me if I found our dog yet. It’s not because the dog is lost…it’s because we are hunting the right little pooch to join our crazy family. Ideally we would be able to find a rescue pup that is a poodle mix (allergies!) and is non-shedding (cleaning!) and already house trained (poop! sorry had to!) and was raised with aggressive and loud kids. A girl can dream right?
But until Fido Bower comes along, we love to visit my mom and her new kitten Bootsie and our friend’s dog Bella. Which leads me to this post. I shared the moodboard plans for the Pedraza laundry room (yup, we are currently eye-ball deep in a kitchen and laundry renovation and going to be sharing the entire thing soon!) and one of my very favorite things was a watercolor pooch picture from a very talented watercolor artist.
It just isn’t in the budget for the Pedraza’s to purchase a real pet painting of their beloved great dane right now so I decided to come up with a watercolor pet portrait hack. There is always another way to skin the cat…err….um….get pet art while keeping all cats fully furry….right!?
Let’s begin….
First you want to take a photo of your pet…
Or a thousand.
I have never really done any pet portraits so thankfully Bella was patient with me. I just simply took her outside onto the front porch and took her photo in front of the white front door.
Then pick your favorite picture and open BeFunky.com – click photo editor (it’s all free so no worries!)
You will want to upload your favorite photo and edit it with the generic tools till it looks alright to you.
Then you will want to open the ARTSY tab in the left hand side and scroll all the way down to select WATERCOLOR.
There is only one free watercolor option and after you select it, you will definitely want to tweak the little sliders to make your picture look how you like it.
Then click the save to your computer option.
You can do these next steps in BeFunky but I decided to do it in photoshop because I am faster in there.
Select the quick selection tool and then select the background and slowly erase it with an eraser set at 30%.
This is how the finished product looks….
Isn’t she so pretty with watercolor! Like she is Elsa waiting for coronation day! I printed this one out on my Canon PIXMA iP8720 crafting printer – it’s the BIG printer that gives off GIANT 13×19 prints that look like something you would have to special order.
The colors and finish is perfect. It’s exactly what I was going for!
It looks like real watercolor but nobody could deny that it’s Bella!
I also decided to give it a whirl with Bootsie. She is my mom’s new kitten and she is REALLY hard to photograph because she is fast and tiny and basically like a fuzzy blur of activity. I got this one of her and I love that she is near the grass (her favorite hiding spot).
Obviously this is a photo when you zoom in…
And after the BeFunky watercolor treatment, I saved it to my computer and now it looks more like a painting when I zoom in with Photoshop…
I also like the texture that you can add in Photoshop with the brushstrokes filter. You can select the crosshatch and it looks more like a faux canvas type texture….
See this is the zoomed in version with the crosshatch applied…
Both are very pretty – one is just more smooth….
and the other has more grit to it…
I also printed this one on my PIXMA iP8720 but this time just used normal glossy photo paper in an 8.5 x 11 size. It was super simple….just put different paper in the back feed and click print.
It will be so fun to give to my mom as a little gift. And inexpensive too! I know she wanted a good picture of Bootsie and this way it is pretty enough to put up as artwork.
So if you are an animal lover but you would rather hang artwork than photos everywhere – this is definitely for you! And I’m sure your fur babies wouldn’t protest – modeling for a photo always deserves an extra treat 🙂
Are you guys just loving these Canon printer posts? I love them so hard! I have about thirty other ideas on ways to use photos, display pictures and craft your home to be a place you love! The challenge is what post comes first! ha! Here are some of my favorite past posts where we partnered with Canon craft printers…(CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO GO TO THAT PROJECT)
Happy crafting y’all!
A poodle mix is not going to have the allergy benefits you are looking for. Because it is a mixed breed there is no guarantee that the dog will end up with the poodle fur. If you really want a hypo allergenic dog you need to get a pure breed and even then there is no guarantee that the person who suffers from allergies will not have a reaction.
I’m all about rescuing dogs and gosh knows there are enough unwanted dogs out there but in instances such as yours you are better off going to a reputable breeder for a pure bred dog.
OMG! I love love love this project. So want to do this with pix of my dogs!
FYI there aren’t any dogs that are “allergy-free” and ALL dogs shed, so I’d recommend just finding a sweet rescue dog. Visit the local pound and look for the dog that’s calm despite all the chaos of the shelter and you’ll have a winner. 🙂
Ooo. BeFunky is my JAM. I don’t have photoshop, or any other photo editing software, and BeFunky has been fantastic for giving my photos a little extra umph. I don’t recall how I found it, but you’re the first person I’ve come across who also uses it.
I love watercolors. I don’t know if you know about the waterlogue app. It’s changed my whole world. It does the same thing but it’s super quick. After I take a picture of something, I just open it in the app and watercolor it. It’s great for those pics you take on your phone/tablet. It’s $3.99 and IMO so worth it.
Very cool project! Have you ever heard of the Waterlogue App for iPhone/iPad?? It’s an app that you can use to turn any photo into a watercolor, and there’s even different types of watercolor effects you can choose. I used it with photos from a trip my hubby and I took to Mexico, and I even printed them out on watercolor paper to up the realistic effect. Just another option that you may want to look into for the future! 🙂
The pictures look awesome — I really need to get that printer!
But I wanted to comment today, because we have this conversation ALL.THE.TIME at my house too! Word to the wise: DO NOT go and see The Secret Life of Pets!! We saw it last week, and as the credits are rolling, my 6 yo jumped out of his seat and said, “MOM….When are we gonna get a DOOOOOGGG?!!?!” I hope you are reading that in the pitiful wailing way it was delivered. All the people around us laughed!! It has been even more a topic of conversation than ever!!
UGH! Im gonna cave soon, I know it!!
I can’t tell you how happy I am to see this post! I’ve been wanting to do something similar for some pics of my kids and since I don’t have a Mac (only iPad) I didn’t know if I’d have the opportunity to do so.
So everything you did to these in Photoshop you can do on BeFunky?
Thanks so much!!!
Everything but the brushstrokes. You can do the watercolor and the select of the background to erase it (make it white).
xo – kb
Yes! I have it! But the hard part is – it’s only for the iPhone and costs $4. I mean it’s totally worth it but this method is FREE!
xo – kb
you know what I mean 🙂
xo – kb
Is it a coincidence your BIL’s nickname is Boots and your mom’s cat is called Bootsie?
Ellen, I have Waterlogue on my iPad; it’s awesome! So easy (I have no computer skills! But a preschooler could use the Waterlogue app!)! Try it; it’s addictive!
Isn’t that funny? I am the only one that calls him Boots so I don’t think it’s intentional….and my mom wanted to name the cat Sweetie but my dad vetoed it because that was his nickname for my mom 🙂
xo – kb
I’m always thrilled when your post shows up in my inbox and I read it first! Thanks so much for the link to this site. I have Paint Shop Pro but am not thrilled with the watercolor feature..BeFunky works really well.
I had myself all set to buy that printer and then the stupid salesman at BB talked me out of it. Then you started doing posts about it and i started kicking myself for not getting it! The one we ended up buying on his recommendation instead only lasted a few months btw. *fuming* I’m sure I’ll eventually break down and get myself one. You’ve convinced me, and no smooth talking salesman will deter me next time.
You should look into sheepadoodles! Old English Sheepdog and poodle mix. I have one and also dog sit a lot. He sheds way less than goldendoodles and I’ve heard that people who still have allergic reactions to goldendoodles don’t really have reactions to the sheepadoodles. Also, my one and a half year old sheepadoodle LOVES kids. He’s training to be a therapy dog and will be focusing on visiting children in hospitals because he loves them so much. Though, they are half herding breed so if you get one as a puppy, there will be a nipping stage (that’s all puppies, but with herding breeds it can be a bit more). They also get the poodle smarts and Old English Sheepdog mischieviousness. But really. Best dog ever. You can check out Henrys Instagram to get more of an idea of his personality @sheepagram
Actually, purebred or not purebred, there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog.
I feel super-strongly about this because our dog, Wilson, is a standard poodle who was abandoned by his family after they found out (the hard way!) that even a purebred standard poodle wasn’t an appropriate choice for their allergic family.
Here’s the deal:
If you’re allergic to dander, ALL dogs are going to be a problem, including poodles.
If you’re allergic to fur, then things get a little bit more interesting. Poodles have hair, rather than fur, which some people react differently to.
Even with hair, they still shed! It’s just that the shredded hair gets caught in their curls, and doesn’t wind up all over the couch as much. If you ever try to brush your poodle, you’ll see what I mean- the brush will be full of shredded hair. Of course, once you start crossing your poodle with a less curly-haired breed, then you risk your dog having looser curls and shedding “more”.
I hope this is helpful, whether to you, Bowers, or some of your readers. I would hate for a dog to have to be rehomed because of misinformation on breed types and their advantages/disadvantages.
Beautiful!
http://www.fashionnotfear.wordpress.com
Friends have a goldendoodle, and he’s pretty shed free. Especially in comparison to my two dogs–Chow/Lab mix and a Huskie. I’m swimming in fur. Actually, DROWNING!
Not sure about hypo-allergenic though. But he’s a sweet sweet dog, and super energetic and relaxed around the babies.
I don’t know much about other breeds of dogs but I DO know that I LOVE dogs! And I hope you’re able to find one that is good for him/her as well as your family. They truly are a member of the family! Ours is our “firstborn” as we call it and his two human younger brothers just adore her! I’m sure someone else could weigh in on this, but we have a miniature schnauzer and I’ve never seen her shed (not saying she doesn’t, but I swear it’s like one hair every blue moon….never seen it on the carpet or furniture). We’ve had schnauzers all my life and they are absolutely wonderful. I will say that ours still likes to be considered the baby of the family (even though she’s the oldest of the “siblings”) so good thing her bubbas are into spoiling her and snuggling her! I really hope you find what you’re looking for, just please remember, that after the “new toy”-ness wears off, they still needs love and attention and care! If you truly love them, you will see that you need them probably more than they need you. Dogs are like another kid, but they are so incredibly loyal and loving.
I have standard poodles, they are so wonderful. One of them does not shed (visably) at all, the other one, does seem to shed a tiny bit. All of the dogs that I know that are mixed with poodles are just amazing. You might get a small amount of shedding but the dog will be so worth it. And, the above commenter is correct, be prepared to love them forever. You do not want to have to give her up. By the way, poodles do tend to bark but it is great protection and a very early warning system to anyone coming to your home.
Love the water color photos!!
Love this so much! But sadly befunky.com has since made their watercolor filter a “plus” only option… It’s no longer free 🙁 I’m glad I saved a couple of pics last week after seeing this post, but I wanted to do a few more and wasn’t able to (without paying at least).
WhaAt?! Darn them. I will update the post and let you guys know if I find another option.
xo – kb
I tried this today and unfortunately none of the watercolor options are free any more! Oh well, that’s how it goes, the web changes so fast.
Lydia
I just followed your link and the steps for the BeFunky website and it doesn’t show a free watercolor option. 🙁
Yes I know 🙁 they changed it to a fee shortly after my post. I think they saw it as an opportunity to make money.
xo kb
That’s what I just found out too. Great idea, not free!