Laura's Pet Portraits has moved to the Scottish Highlands

As I said earlier, we are in the process of moving house. We are moving to our new home in Wick, Caithness, the most northerly county in the Scottish Highlands. We move this weekend, but I have amended the details on the website, as I will be packing up the PC tomorrow and thought i'd get everything sorted sooner rather than later. My new contact details are on my new Contact Me page. I have added a couple of information pages about both Wick & Caithness.

It may be a week before I add anymore posts as I will need to get my internet connection sorted, but hopefully I should have some more artwork to add when I do get back online.

Photos of sunny West Wiltshire

I've not been doing a lot towards the Pet Portraits over the last couple of days because we're in the process of moving house, so I've been packing. We're moving to Scotland, and it wasn't until I started thinking that I would be seeing my regular dog walking areas for months (at least), that I started looking properly again. So this morning, when I walked my two Springer Spaniels I took the camera. The photos below are all taken at Elm Hill in Warminster, which is Schedule 1 land owned by the MOD, hence the signs you may see in some of the pictures. Hope you like them.








These bottom two are me playing around with the close up function on my camera. I particularly like the barbed wire.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Portrait

As I said before, I like to work on more than one Pet Portrait at a time, so I have started a graphite pencil portrait to work on alongside the Golden Retriever. This one is of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, they are such sweet little dogs with lovely faces. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are #6 on the most popular dog breeds in the UK, so this drawing when it's finished will be used for prints.

So far I have drawn the outline, and done the tones on the ear.

Golden Retriever update

Well, here is scan #4 of my current Golden Retriever. I am quite pleased with how it's going so far. As you can see I have added a pale purple background, it is slightly darker than the scan. I chose this colour as it is a complementary colour to yellow, and I am also using purple in small amounts in the picture to represent the shadow areas. I think it has helped with pushing the Golden Retriever forward.

Portraits of People

I have created a new page for the website with details for ordering a portrait of your family members or friends. People Portraits can be ordered in graphite pencil only, prices and standard sizes are the same as for Pet Portraits. I have not yet created an order form for the people portraits, so if you wish to order one, please contact me using the details on the website. More detailed information is on these pages:

• Portraits of People


• Portrait pricing and sizes.

Golden Retriever work in progress update

I have been working today on the Golden Retriever print some more. As you can see I have completed the other eye and started to put in the darker areas, so starting to create an idea of the shape and direction of the fur. I will continue to work on the darker areas, then start to do the midtones, then wash over the lighter areas, and finally I will probably need to darken up some of the 'darks' to keep the tone correct. I will post more as the time goes on. I have also updated the Pet Portraits work in progress on the website.

Laura's Pet Portraits website updates

This afternoon I have been working on the website. I love working on the website, I find it really good fun. I hand code everything and it never ceases to make me smile to change something in 'notepad' then click refresh in the browser, and as if by magic it's changed. Clever, huh!! (Not me, whoever it was that invented html in the first place.)

I have changed my work in progress pages, and have added the Graphite Labrador Retriever and the Watercolour Pencil Golden Retriever. I have also changed the images on my homepage, and added a little 'news' box at the bottom, which I will update at least weekly with new developments. Mention people portraits for the first time. I need to work on the order form and information pages for those, but will do that over the next few weeks. Follow the links below to look at the changes:

Pet Portraits home page

Pet Portraits Labrador work in progress

Pet Portraits Golden Retriever work in progress

Golden Retriever update

I have been working on the Golden Retriever this morning. Watercolour pencils are incredibly versatile, they can be used dry on dray paper as 'normal' coloured pencils, they can have a wash painted over them with a brush, they can be used with a dry pencil onto wet paper, or pigment can be taken directly from the pencil and applied with a fine brush. I have applied a pale ochre wash first to provide a base colour, and have then drawn the detail in the eye and nose with the pencil dry onto dryed paper, then with a very fine brush washed over it and blended the colours together. Here's where I am so far:

Golden Retriever

After completing the Labrador Retriver, I though I would get started on another drawing for my prints. I like to have more than one Pet Portrait or drawing to work on at a time to add some variety to the day.

The next dog I am working on is a Golden Retriever. I took the reference photograph at a local country show, and the dog has such a beautiful, smiley expression I couldn't resist using it. I have drawn the outline today, and will start working on the colour tomorrow. I am planning on completing this print in Watercolour Pencils.

Blog directories

Well, we all know that there's power in those little underlined links, so i've been adding my blog to blog directories this morning. Google found 130,000 entries under 'blog directory' so I won't be adding myself to all of them!! So far i've done about 12, but I will continue. Some of them have been added to my little links list in the sidebar, so if you fancy a browse of another blog, there are some starting points.

I've read that blogs are liked by search engines, particularly Google (which is, after all the one everyone's targeting), but even blogs must need decent links to start with. I will let you know of my progress in the never ending delight that is SEO!!

Finished Labrador Retriever print

Got up at 6am today, wow and a on a Sunday too! It's quite nice getting up early though, means I don't feel like i've wasted my time in bed, which I often do if I get up late.

Getting up early also meant an early start on my drawing, so here it is, the finished Labrador Retriever:

Website and Print updates

Hello all, I have been working on the website today, playing around with the colour scheme. I think the new one looks a little more professional than the old one, which was a bit bright I think. I've also put a background image on the main content which I think adds a bit of interest. I like the effect it's created. You can have a look at Laura's Pet Portraits, and let me know.

I have also been continuing with my Labrador Retriever print. Here are two work in progress pictures from today.

People as well as Pet Portraits

I have been working on some graphite portraits of people recently, as examples for the new service I am going to offer of drawing people as well as pets. This is one of my favourite examples - Orlando Bloom.

If you are interested in having a portrait of a member of your family, pet or human, my contact details are on my Pet Portraits website.

Subscribe to Pet Portraits by Laura Young

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Well you can now subscribe to my RSS feed. All you need is click on the feed icon underneath the blogger icon on the menu bar.

Labrador Retriever Print

Hello, I have been working on the Labrador Retriever print today. I have done his eyes and started working on the rest of the face. I love drawing pet's eyes. It's the eye's that make the pet portrait look right, I always do them first, because if they're not right the rest won't be any good.

Here's where i've got to so far today:

Labrador Retriever Print

Here is the outline of the Labrador Retriever print that i'm currently working on. I'm going to be doing this one in graphite pencil

Springer Spaniel Print

Hello again,

I told you i'd be back with some artwork, and here I am. This is the a Springer Spaniel coloured pencil drawing I am doing for my range of prints.

Here is where I am so far

Welcome to Laura's Pet Portraits

Hello all,

Welcome to my new blog. My original one was taken over by my general ramblings about life, so I have started this one to showcase my pet portraits and other pet art I will be doing.

I am currently working on a number of Pet pictures to start a range of prints and other gifts, so far I have started a Springer Spaniel and a Labrador Retriever.

I will be back soon with some artwork but you can look at my Pet Portraits website for some examples of my work.