This unique pet portrait is Pellinore. He is a Meller’s Chameleon (Trioceros melleri), surrounded by many different plants on a black background. There is a pitcher plant (Nepenthes robcantleyi) in the lower left, Begonia rex in the lower right, and Callisia repens ‘Pink Lady’ on the top. His portrait was created with acrylics on a 16×20 inch stretched canvas. This is my second chameleon painting, with hopefully more on the way! I am really enjoying painting these fascinating creatures. Art prints and other merch of this painting can be found in my online store: RebeccaWangArt.com

The owner requested a natural color scheme for her chameleon’s portrait. Several references were provided of him, and one was chosen to be the main reference, with several others used to fill in details such as colors and markings. The colors were changed from the main reference to his “stress” colors; the original markings were more dilute greens and pale yellows, but his stress markings have a lot of darker black, especially the spots and stripes. The owner thought this would look more interesting. Solid black was chosen as the background color so his markings would stand out better. The various plants seen in the painting are based on real plants that are actually found in his enclosure. They are all chameleon-safe plants, and if he happens to eat some of them they are not harmful. Even though chameleons are mostly insectivorous, they will occasionally nibble on some leaves.

This portrait provided me with many challenges that I do not face when painting a dog or cat. The skin texture and markings are very unique, and care was taken to replicate the scales and bumps on his skin as accurately as possible. I also had to take care to make sure his colors were as close to real life as possible, so I frequently color matched the painting vs the reference photo and got feedback from the owner, who was able to give me some advice on correcting any markings that were not as accurate. The plants also provided a new textural experience for me. The begonia leaves in the lower left were fun to paint, as they had so many cool shapes and colors, and the pitcher plant was a lot of fun as well, dealing with the hightlights and shadows of the unique plant.

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If you like my art style and you want a custom portrait of your own pet, please visit my Commission Information Page. I paint using acrylic paints on stretched canvas. The canvases are varnished and have a hanging wire installed on the back, so they are ready to hang. I ship worldwide. I will paint any animal species, including cats, dogs, horses, farm animals, fish, reptiles, birds, and even invertebrates. Please visit my Portfolio to see all of my works.