How many times have you thought – “Boi, I wish I took more pictures of my dog while he/she was a puppy” ?
Time flies so quickly, and before we even realize it, our beloved four-legged furballs transform into adults. We just wish we had more of those puppyhood memories preserved, am I right?
Well, thanks to the genius artwork of Mandy Helwege, a digital creator from Denver, Colorado, so many people today have their wishes come true!
For the past few years, Mandy has been creating amazing portraits of dogs (and other animals), displaying their adult versions photoshopped next to their puppy selves. And, as you may have guessed it, she’s absolutely nailing it!
It Looks So Realistic And Heartwarming At The Same Time
Everything started out as a pure hobby when Mandy decided to photoshop the picture of her own dog, Elliott, into this unique portrait. She wanted to create the illusion that his puppy version exists within the same time and space as his current one, and people just loved it!
Suddenly, she started making these portraits for friends until it turned out to be a real full-time business.
“I have been doing them since 2018. I started off doing them for my own dogs before friends started asking and when strangers started offering payment for them I had a feeling I was onto something,” Mandy wrote on Instagram.
The best thing of all was – she got to combine all of her favorite things and make a living out of it. Being a dog lover herself, Mandy got into this artwork business to help people preserve their memories and create the ones that last forever.
“My pets have always been my biggest inspiration and the whole reason I do these for others today,” Mandy states on Instagram.
And, even though she’s made countless portraits so far, every time she puts together another one makes her really emotional.
“Each one is a favorite for one reason or another but it usually has something to do with how it challenged me in a unique way and helped me refine my craft just a little more than it was when I started,” she added.
For this inspiring, Colorado-based artist, creating a lifetime memory for people is nothing but pure satisfaction and joy, and seeing them enjoy it has no price.
Most of the time, Mandy creates portraits of adult dogs and their younger versions by tuning the colors and the lighting. However, she also creates ones of senior dogs or ones that have crossed the rainbow bridge together with families’ new pets.
Seeing “two of the same dog” sitting or standing next to each other and interacting through time makes everyone reflect on all the experiences a dog has during their lifetime. And, most of all, it adds such an emotional aspect to it.
You can really feel all the love Mandy pours into her art. Her followers and clients couldn’t be happier to see every new photo she creates!
You can now do it, too, by checking out Mandy’s work on her Instagram and TikTok.