King Max

About the Project

A few years ago, I sewed a royal king costume for my dog Max for Halloween. After letting it collect dust in the closet for a while, I decided to use it for Max’s 2019 official portrait and Christmas cards.

I referenced actual royal portraits to figure out the composition and props for Max’s portrait. One painting I remember studying in my art history classes has stuck with me for its incorporation of a mirror — “Las Meninas” by Diego Velazquez (1656). “Las Meninas” depicts the Spanish royal Margaret Theresa surrounded by her entourage. On the back wall hangs a mirror showing the reflection of the king and queen looking upon the scene while standing in the same place as the viewer. That has always intrigued me, and I wanted to use this as inspiration in some way for Max’s portrait, especially since he loves to stare at himself in my bedroom mirror. (Once I even found him practicing his tricks in front of it!) The end results don’t tie back directly to this painting, but it was a starting point for inspiration.

Some common elements in royal portraits include draped fabrics, a throne, the colors red and gold, and a serious look on the royal’s face. I bought a few yards of blue satin to drape in the background and a red velvet pillow to serve as Max’s throne. My mom hand stitched gold trim along the pillow edges.

I set up the scene in my living room. I didn’t have enough satin to fill the entire set, so I used it in the main part of the set where Max would be posing. (Fabric can be expensive, and in general I try to keep the cost of Max’s portraits around $35 so I don’t go overboard.) I figured I could remove the background during editing and add in extra fabric later.

Max had so much fun shooting this portrait! It was kinda tough to get some serious looks from Max — he kept grinning because he loved the attention.

For Max’s royal signature, I had Max stand on my scanner so I could scan his paws. That’s his actual paw print on the portrait!

I used these portraits for Max’s Christmas cards, address labels and stickers. They were a hit with all of his friends and family!

Her Royal Highness Queen Munchkin