Pet Portraits and Wildlife Art

Good news all round today, Jess' portrait and the trio portrait have all been approved. These will be hitting the Christmas post sack very soon. As you can see above I finally got around to finishing Jess' mouth, poor dog was without one for quite some time. I'm back on the black labs, Liam and Clyde today, I did start yesterday afternoon and decided I did not like the grass they were on so it's had a change of colour but I'm still working on it and will post an update very shortly.

Just an update on the pets, we saw a buzzard flying very low in the bottom field so I went to investigate and it was sat in the tree ready to do another flyby, I clapped my hands but it refused to move until I got quite close (good job our chickens are too fat to carry away!) but I was worried about my muscovy ducklings but luckily all were there and accounted for. Our neighbour is a keen birdwatcher and has said the worst predator we have here regularly flies over which is the goshawk, typical that one nests just around the corner so we have to always watch out for these. They can catch prey on the wing so if it ever takes a fancy to anything it's a gonner I'm afraid! Anyway, we are having major discussions about my new dog, I'm looking for a black alsation to take to work (Zac is gun shy and noises make him very scared, he trembles so much he can't walk and Gypsy gets stuck in the bramble or gets too tired and sits down refusing to budge) so I want a dog of my own to take, I am set on an alsation but a spaniel and labrador feature heavily as alternatives so I am told!

Unfortunately a very poor shot due to lack of sunshine or daylight! And here is the trio completed, I think you should be able to click on this image to enlarge it. I'm really very pleased with the finished portrait, each one I complete adds to my skills, I think usually pencil portraits are done with softer pencils but I mainly used a 2H which is quite hard to ensure all the fine details were captured and then I used an HB for the darker areas and Baron the rottweiler, as both Daisy and Saffie were lighter coloured dogs this contrasted well. I'm intending to finish Jess today and go back to the labradors, I still have a lot more to do but I do feel a little less stressed that by the end of today I will have two less portraits on my 'to do' list.

Bit of an update on the trio, I've drawn in all the heads now, this is quite a sizeable portrait so it has taken quite a lot of time to get this far, however I think the bodies may be a little less time consuming as there are fewer details to contend with.

At long last I have started on Baron, Daisy and Saffie's portrait. So far I have completed Daisy's head and shoulders (English bull terrier) and have moved across to the right to Baron. It's difficult to assess which colours are lighter or darker from a coloured photo being drawn as a graphite pencil portrait so I photocopied the image in black and white, simple solution and it does work very well as a guide.

This is where I have got to with Jess, I was asked to lighten the muddy pool she obviously loves and the client is happy for it to be this light. I still have a bit to do, I need to tidy up the edges of her fur, and I've still got to sort out the mouth area, I seem to have worked all the way around it! A few more hours on this and it too will be in the Christmas post.

Not the best shot, I took this under a light bulb as by the time I got home from my day job it was dark, plus it was dark when I left this morning so daytime shots are definitely out!! Also I put it on the coffee table as I balanced a standard lamp against my leg as I cannot use the flash on my camera as it just shines all over the place and I was not stood directly over it so it's a bit unstraight, anyway no more excuses this is it so far. I've also drawn out the trio of dogs (Baron, Daisy and Saffie) so have been very very very busy, I'm stressing now I won't get everything done! I've also heard back from Jess's owner about the muddy puddle she is stood in and it seems she does quite like these so in keeping with her character she will remain in the swampy mud!!!

A couple of updates for Liam and Clyde, so far I have not used a black pencil at all!!! I ave used persian grey, petrol grey, dove grey, cloud blue and white for the fur, no black dog is ever really black. I used the white to add the sheen to their fur, these two have very shiny fur as it is sort short and in good condition so the sheen plays a big part. The white also works as a kind of blender, if you use it over where two colours meet it blends them together leaving no edge. Plus I've received more images of Baron (the rottie) Daisy (the english bull terrier) and Saffie (a rottie cross not a cross rottie!) and this is my chosen image. Their owner had originally asked for just their heads but this lovely shot is too good to miss so she is happy for me to use this one. It is well balanced and it also means they are all in proportion, a very difficult thing to guess when images are on different shots sometimes. I'm looking forward to this one as it is just such a nice shot and will be getting on with this very soon.

I'm waiting for a new photo of Saffie from the trio of dogs portrait (hopefully the post will not let me down and they will arrive today or Monday) plus I have put the portrait of Jess to one side whilst I figure out the ground (I'm not sure the muddy pool will translate well on a portrait) so in the meantime I have drawn out Liam and Clyde's portrait. As you can see the reference photo looks a little out of sinc at the top as their owner accidently cut off Clyde's head but luckily she took another shot straight after and although it was blurry I could steal the head part and paste them together, good job this was very basic as my editing skills are very shoddy to say the least. I have darkened the contrast quite a bit (this is advanced for me) to show the details I have got down so far as they are really quite light and are for guidence only for when I begin adding layers. So far I have used just two colours on the dogs, a very pale blue and a grey, not a bit of black in sight, then I started to pick out areas for blocking in such as the eyes and collars to prevent me from losing them. I have also been asked to add a little drawing of their paws, I have a lovely photo of their paws crossing as though they were holding hands and this will be added a bit later.

I've got on great guns with Jess, lots of shading added but I've still to sort out the mouth area which shouldn't take long. I will admit this portrait petrified me to begin with due to light colours and mass of fur I had to depict, however it was not the problem I thought it was going to be at all, in fact it was a nice change to do a lighter coloured dog.

Plus I've now framed Max and Fidget and they will be delivered very soon.

I've continued working on Jess who is in fact a wheaten terrier, isn't she adorable, all that fluffy fur! I've still neglected to work on her mouth yet but I'm really quite enjoying working on her fur at the moment, this portrait has been a little different to work on, the fur does not require many layers due to the light colouring but also because I actually have the correct colour in my box rather than having to build up layers until I get the shade correct. I've used four colours only for all of this so coverage is pretty quick for a change.

Plus overall things have really taken off, I'm having to turn away Christmas commissions now, as this is my first Christmas on the web I'm so pleased.

And look what I found in my fish tank, these are my kribensis. I have had these two for about 4 years now and this is about the 7th or 8th time they have bred. Mrs Kribensis disappears from sight for a few days and builds a little nest under the filter in the corner, I usually get a torch to check she's ok but she does get a bit annoyed with this. These fry must be about a week old now and they are shooting all over the place leaving Mum and Dad to chase around after them collecting them in their mouths to return them to safety plus they chase off anything that gets too close to the babies. I have kept about a dozen of their young so far and had to split them between my two tanks, I have no idea what I'm going to do with this lot!!!

Meet Jess, a rather furry little doggy! I've started work on Jess's head and have used so many colours already, in fact I'm not all the colours were necessary as some don't even show up! It does look a bit odd at the moment as I have not put in the tongue yet but work will continue.

Plus I've learnt from Dibble and Fifi's owner that their portrait arrived safe and well this morning (by special delivery to ensure it didn't get lost) and this is what Greg had to say...

Max and Fidget are now completed, I think this is the fastest I've ever completed a portrait, it was a bit of a marathon at times but I'm so pleased I managed to get through it!! I decided to draw quite a large proportion of Fidget's chest to level it up with Max and even though both their chests were white fur there was still quite a lot of work involved (and several colours). Now I just need to frame them up ready for delivery.

Bit of an update, got a bit behind today and had hoped to be further than this but I had to let all my rabbits and guinea pigs out in their upgraded pen, it's great. Looks a bit smart now, they were all very happy running about this afternoon!!! Anyway these are a couple of my chickens hiding in the hedge, they are quite well camoflaged in the fallen leaves.
Plus the new ducklings excaped, they are so small they can get through the fencing, Mummy duck was making a bit of a fuss, hissing and calling for them but they took a wrong turning and nearly ended up in the wood at the bottom of the garden, they had to be rounded up and led back to Mum who was a bit flustered!
And some of our ducks on an afternoon stroll in the bottom field.
Sshhh...... quiet please, it's snooze time for the goosy ganders

Made leaps and bounds on this one, sat for the longest session ever in one go without even so much as a cup of tea to complete Fidget's ear and start on Max the cocker spaniel. I am leaving Fidget's neck area until the end so I can see how far down his chest I will need to go to balance it up with Max's super long ears that are so typical of cocker spaniels. It seems Fidget was in my area on Friday delivering with his owner but I was at my day job so did not get to see him. He may be around again but if I don't get chance to meet him before Chrsitmas I shall make a visit to them both after as they live about 4 doors away from my parents.

I've also had approval for Dibble and Fifi's portrait and they will be posted today, well in time for Christmas plus I think I've taken on too many commissions now, I have a few more in the pipe-line so I may be taking a few days off from my day job to get them all done in time! Wonderful thing these holidays, luckily I've not taken many so far this year as it's really nice to work outside in the summer so you don't feel as though you've missed out on the sunshine!

Kay and the Koala are now framed as this is a collected portrait...



...And Dibble and Fifi have been put into a double mount to be posted ready for Christmas.
Job done.



Now I have to get back to the artwork, I have still a few which I have not even started yet, usually I draw things out a little ahead of myself when I get 5 minutes spare and when I need a break from the current portrait I am working on, unfortunately I'm yet again behind so this weekend is going to be a hard slog to get it back on track, the problem is I now have two rolls of wire to put into my rabbit pens to do them up and I should also be doing that otherwise new recruit Rex the rabbit will be out from underneath the wire, he's a fanatical digger and yearns to escape.

I have now started on Max and Fidget, this is Fidget (what a lovely name) the springer, with Max being a cocker spaniel. These two live near my parents and hopefully I will get to meet them 'in person' at some point. This isn't a Christmas commission but a birthday commission and is a bit of a rush job so back to the drawing board I go! And I have completed the background for Dibble and Fifi. I decided to keep the carpet very plain as I think the patterned carpet would take forever but also look a bit overpowering.

I've now completed this portrait and all that remains is for it to be framed and mounted. It's been a rotten day weather wise, we got wet at work and it was even too wet for the chickens to come out in the garden today, thay all had to stay shut up. My rabbits sulked a bit, they spent the day in the shed which is none too interesting when you have holes to dig.

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And now the koala is beginning to appear!

More work has been carried out on Kay and the Koala portrait. I'm working on the bib now which is very patterened and complicated. Yet again I've forgotten to work out how long I spend on a portrait but I think this has taken about 6 or 7 hours so far. For the first stage see here