Beautiful!

Wow, who is that? some veteran general?

tis Zeus

Very nice! Militant too!

*salute*

So amazing! ;_;

thank you :)

OMG a traditional old timey military portrait painting :D

I hit reply too soon. Even the subdued color palette, lighting, textures, and composition match old military portraits...dat mustardy warm sky background :3. brilliant!

thats what I was going for :) myself and the commissioner are art history nuts so I had a blast with this one

Haha that's wonderful! I might have to ask for a "stuffy Victorian portrait" down the road just because this seemed like a blast. No one ever seems to smile in old paintings.

I hope the commissioner prints this, puts it in an ornate gold leaf frame, and hangs it over the mantle XD

oh that would be so fun! and i was thinking the same about the frame :)

Very nice. I like the style, It reminds me of old painted portraits from the victorian period. The wrinkles and slight damage on the right side were a nice touch.

Thank you very much :)

I love the antique feel about it~. Great job!

glad it reads well!

Nice touch with the dust on top of the canvas!

damn your talented.

thank you

Dressed for Success!

Loved the aged look of this.

Oh wow this is gorgeous!

ah thank you! I love your work :)

WHY ARE THE HANDS YOU DO SO LOVELY

IDK I JUST TRY AND STUFF

This. Is. So. Amazing.

Seriously, this is just stunning. Your work and ability with this is wonderful.

i really appreciate that :)

Classy. I'll have to get one in the near future.

Id love to!! :)

I _LOVE_ this!

You never see classic style paintings like this anymore, and any less furry ones!

couldn't agree more. this was so much fun for me :)

Fantastic work

thanks :)

wow baine... just WOW!

exactly!

Just breathtaking...

Mind if I ask what medium you used and how you managed to create the amazing shiny effect with the gold?

Its all painted in Photoshop!

To achieve bright highlights, I always paint more saturated than going towards white (which is a no no) and then with level adjustments those highlights can become even brighter :)

No wonder, that's where I kept going wrong... Thanks for the tip!

anytime friend!

Handsome brushstrokes!

thank you! I love that new cat portrait of yours

That is gorgeous. It really does look a bit more subdued and old-fashioned, so you've made some wonderfully successful stylistic choices. Great painting! ^__^

glad you like it soba, thank you!

Like a sir

Great work on this. Really has that regal, military look going on. Nicely done. :D

thank you very much sir robbo

Nice!

OMG. I want one to hang on my wall. Life-Size!

do it i dare you

challenge accepted. Just have to wait until I get my first paycheck in about 2 months. God I hate having to wait on Human Resources.

No Really. I also have to find a printer that doesn't charge an arm and a leg.... I don't think there's a Kinko's out here.... *googles*

The elegance of this piece is only surpassed by the outstanding authority and dignity captured within each stroke as if to permanently imbue the presence of command upon the visual sense. The keen eyes do not denote any weariness yet empower the overall poise of the individual whose will subtlety invades the entire scope of the canvas. Indeed you have captured the essence of an officer in the regal nobility of a bygone age, and upon my eyes it is truly magnificent.

by far the most eloquent comment I've ever received.

TIP OF THE HAT TO YOU, SIR.

and thank you!

My pleasure. *bows*

Just...wow.....wow.....wow.

Marry me

talbaine now accepting marriage applications - please find the Craiglist ad with the title "25.m.straight looking for hot babe wife who plays Pokemon"

Oh, you are a guy?

...

Hm. Let's be friends then :-3

hahah yes, I am. says on my profile but maybe i should get a new avatar

You are the same age like me, this makes your skills even more astonishing for me. Wonderful

Love the picture! I am curious: is the uniform based on one that was used in the past, or one that was created by you (and/or Zeus)?

glad you like it! The uniform was inspired by several references zeus and I put together :)

Generally spoken I tend to see a Union Civil Wat uniform mixed with a British Navy coat

Good eye! It is in fact modeled off the dress uniform of Sir Alexander Milne, GCB, a well respected British Admiral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Alexander_Milne,_1st_Baronet). The portrait used as one of the several ref pics for this commission was painted around the 1860s, at which time the American military was still taking heavy style cues from their British counterparts in terms of their dress / regalia uniforms.

This is impressive work, as usual. I hope we're going to see more! ლ(＾ω＾ლ)　

thank you!...i sure hope so

Really great job here - this just tells a story.....

thank you very much :)

My king *bows down*

Lord Baron actually, but thank you for the thought ;3

WOW am I super late to this party...anywho, I COULD NOT be happier with how this turned out. It will be getting printed and framed in an appropriately ornate frame shortly. The attention to detail, the beautiful canvas and aging effects, the inclusion of some fabulous historical references, my inner nerd really enjoyed the commission process and Talbaine was a PLEASURE to work with.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your awesome work.

aw thanks so much for the kind words, I really do appreciate it!

As I've said before, this was an absolute joy to work on, it was a lot of fun :) So glad to hear you'll be printing it, thats so cool!

This one is meant to be as Dictatorship Symbol T_T

Not at all. This is just meant to be a fun re-imagining of the "Official Portraits" common in past eras of royal, noble, and otherwise "important' persons. This particular one is done in the realist, European style of the mid-late 19th century. I'm a history nut with a fascination with royal / noble houses (particularly those that were royal/noble and aren't technically anymore...but hold onto all their titles, traditions, etc).

I didn't mean to suggest anything in support of dictatorship / totalitarianism, though I can see how this image could visually relate to official portraits of 20th century despots.

thank you very much!!

Napoleon 2.0

Oh my Gawd! This portrait is utterly beautiful! Your handling and technique in mimicking the old portraits of the Old Masters is amazing! I am looking forward to other ventures into furry portraits from the past -- when the mood strikes you.

*standing applause for the artist*

Whoa... this is beautiful...

Few pictures have impressed me much as this. Rather than throwing a wall of text at you and explaining each and every reason why, for the sake of your time I'll give you this in an effort of conveying just how enthralled I am.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnecHy2vyIQ

LOL thank you!! that made me smile

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Ditto what this guy said.

:D :D thank you

Absolutely superb work. Lions do make great figures for this type of theme. So regal. :)

Holy mother of HNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG *^*

*salutes*

Absolutely gorgeous combination. And the rendering is spot on.

mmhh, like a classic old paint, excellent job

man this is awesome. I love how regal he looks

The lion of the battlefield!