Pet Portrait changes

The main reason I put the work in progress of my portraits up on my blog is so my clients can watch how their pet portrait is progressing and so they can ask for any changes as early on in the portrait's development as possible. This is because it is easier to make changes at the earlier stages.

The owner of Pickles, the Boxer I am currently painting in coloured pencil asked me to change one of her eyes to make it brighter. I thought I would put up the before and after photographs of the changes.


Pickles' eyes before:

And after I lightened up her left eye (as we look at it):

And an overall shot of her whole portrait:

Pet Portrait update

Here is the latest update on Ben the Collie's pet portrait. It is developing quite quickly and will be finished by the end of the week.

Work in progress - Bertie

I have been working on Bertie's pet portrait today. The hardest thing about coloured pencil portraits is getting the colours correct, especially with coloured pencil, as they can't be mixed like paints can. The colours have to be built up with layers of different colours and you have to be careful not to make the colours 'muddy' and eventually with coloured pencil you can get to the stage when no more colour can be put down. It took me a while to get Bertie's colouring correct, but I think i've got there now. Here he is, it's going to be such a cute portrait...

Work in progress - Tiny

Here is the latest update on Tiny's pet portrait.

Pet Portrait update - Tiny

Here is the latest update from my graphite pet portrait of Tiny.

Pet Portrait update

Here is an update on my latest pet portrait, a graphite drawing of Margaux, a black Labrador. This will be finished tomorrow.

Springer Spaniel work in progress

I have been working on Tess, the Springer Spaniel's pet portrait today. Here is the latest scan from today:

Pet portraits in progress - Tiny and Taylor

I have two pet portraits to post work in progress updates on, so thought I may as well blog them together.


The first is Tiny. This is a graphite 12" x 16" portrait. It is only a small update, but there will be more to see after the weekend:

The second is Taylor. This coloured pencil portrait is really coming on now and the next scan is likely to be the final one. Here is today's progress:

Portrait in progress - Taylor

I have recently been working on Taylor's portrait. This 8" x 10" coloured pencil pet portrait is now nearing completion. Here is the latest update:

Pet portrait in progress - Tiny

Here is an update of a current graphite pet portrait that I am working. The subject is Tiny and it is a 16" x 12" portrait.

WIP - Shadow's portrait

Here is the latest scan of Shadow's pet portrait....

Work in progress update - Taylor

Here is another update on my current coloured pencil portrait of Taylor:

I have continued working on this today in a slightly different way than I normally do. I normally work in sections, completely finishing one area before moving on to another. However, with all the complex shading in Taylor's fur I was finding myself overlapping sections and trying to do detailed parts before working on the intial layers that have to go down first.

So I have marked a basic outline of the darker areas of Taylor's coat, so I can build on these areas, making some parts darker and belnding them into the highlighted areas to build up the depth of the coat.

Pet portrait in progress

Here is another update on Katy and Lulu. As you can see I have now completed yellow Labrador, Katy and am working on Lulu.

Katy and Lulu - work in progress

I have been away for a week to visit my family and arrived home yesterday. Today I was back to the easel though and continuing with Katy and Lulu's pet portrait. Here is the latest update:

Katy and Lulu take 2

Katy and Lulu's pet portrait has been started again, due to their owner being unhappy with the original. Here are two work in progress photographs. The first one has been darkened considerably to show the outline.

Pet portrait update - Taylor

I started Taylor's Pet Portrait some time ago and have done some more work on it today. It is in coloured pencil and is 10" x 12".

Westie work in progress

Here is the latest update on the Westie in graphite I am currently working on:

New pet portrait started

I also started work on a second pet portrait today. I like to work on a couple of portraits at a time and this one is of Taylor, a little Terrier cross. His portrait is 10" x 12" and is coloured pencil. I have just done the outline so far and had to darken the photograph a lot to show the pencil marks. The paper is actually off-white all over!!

Westie update

I have been working today on the graphite Westie portrait. This is due to completed this week:

Personal work in progress pages

I can't really show any of the pet portraits i'm working on at the moment, as the two current ones are both surprises. When customers commission a pet portrait that is a present for someone and they don't want it shown on the blog, I make them a personal work in progress page. It's just a page I put on the internet that only they have a link to so they can still watch the progress of their pet portrait online and can add imput if they wish. Here's an example of one: Pet Portrait work in progress.

Pet Portrait work in progress

Here is another update on Dylan's coloured pencil pet portrait.

Latest Pet Portrait

As promised, here is Dylan's pet portrait so far. I'm enjoying doing this one. I like drawing black dogs, either in colour or graphite pencil. There's just such a brilliant range of tones available.

Another Greyhound Update

Another update on Rosie, the Greyhound in coloured pencil. Her head is now finished and i've done her collar and tags. Here she is:

Greyhound work in progress

Today I have done quite a bit more on Rosie, the Greyhound, my current work in progress. Here she is so far:

Pet Portraits work in progress

I have been working on two of the portraits on my waiting list today - Rosie the Greyhound and Harry, the Britanny Spaniel.

I had already started Rosie, however, I was unhappy with the proportions, I had done her eyes too big and her nose too small, so I started again today. It's just the outline, but here's where I am at the moment:

I have started on the colour on Harry, starting on his ears: Here is the Pet Portrait at it's current stage:

Great Dane work in progress

I have another update on Strath, the Great Dane in coloured pencil. I am hoping to have him finished over the next few days and to have started on the background by the end of the week.



Here is the portrait so far:


And here is a close up of the recently completed section:

Great Dane Update

Here is another update on Strath, the Great Dane in coloured pencil:


Strath's Pet Portrait is one of the ones currently on my website under work in progress, so you can also follow the progress of his portrait there.