Cat pet portrait work in progress (pastel painting)

Several months ago, I was asked to create a head and neck portrait of this beautiful cat to be given as an early Christmas present to my client's sister.  Like always, when I work on my commissions, I take progression photos which I send to the client for review and feedback. This not only gives the client an opportunity to provide input but also allows them to view the creation process as the subject slowly but surely comes to life in front of their eyes. On occasion, the client may change their mind about a particular aspect (such as a collar or tag for example) and as long as the work is not so far advanced and impossible to change, I am able to fulfill the request.

So, I thought that it would be nice to share the step by step process of how this kitty came to life on paper. Unfortunately, I had to work rather quickly because of the Christmas rush and so I did not take as many progress shots as I usually do.

This first image is a high resolution scan of the actual completed artwork. I manually adjust for color, tone and value using Photoshop and then add a watermark for id purposes. I try to match the original as close as possible but there is always some slight variation due to individual monitor settings and light conditions.

"Sylvester"

Pastel

4"x6"

SOLD

The following images were taken under my work lamp using my cell phone. I don't scan the art as I'm working on it as this is mostly unnecessary and takes up valuable work time. On occasion, I might scan the art when it is further advanced; for example, if the client needs to compare eye or coat color to the actual subject so that it is portrayed as accurately as possible.

Step 1

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Step4

Bichon Frise pet portrait progress on the easel

Been busy in the studio working on this dog painting commission of an adorable little Bichon Frise. I thought I'd share some of the work in progress pictures I took with my phone so you can see some of the steps involved. I lightly draw a pencil sketch then I always start with the eyes...yes, the eyes are the windows to the soul and I feel I need to get those just right before I can continue with the rest of the portrait. Sometimes, I go back and tweak a little but there is nothing usually major unless the client points something out.
That is another reason I take progress shots of my work and send to the client. It gives the opportunity to provide feedback and if necessary, little touch ups here and there.
I want every client to be totally in love with their portrait so it is important it is to their liking.
Keep watching to see the rest of the portrait as it progresses to the grand finale in my next post!

Golden Retriever dog Portrait Time Lapse Painting Progression Video

Thought you might enjoy watching how this custom pastel portrait of a golden retriever dog was created.
The portrait was commissioned by a client who wanted to surprise their spouse for all the hard work they do.
You can also view many more of my painting demonstration and progression videos on my YouTube channel and even subscribe for free!

Click here to view more videos on my channel

Akita dog portrait using pastels

I'm having so much fun painting this commission of an Akita frolicking in the snow! After I completed most of the facial features, I added the snow background/foreground before I can finish up the fur around the outline of the dog.

I hope you enjoy watching the progress of my pet portraits...

A portrait begins with the eyes...the window to the soul!

  I am often asked, when working on a piece, if I start with the eyes on my paintings and the answer is almost always "yes".  Now you may ask why do I start with the eyes when creating a portrait? There are a few reasons:

   Firstly, I want to feel connected to the subject and since the eyes are "the window to the soul", I am able to see the spirit and character early on which helps me render a realistic representation.

    Secondly, I don't particularly like staring at blank ghostly orbits as the rest of the subject comes to life. It's like I'm staring at a ghostly figure with no emotion.

   Thirdly, once I am satisfied I have rendered the eyes to convey the subject's unique character and charm, it gives me confidence that I can truly achieve a good likeness. It just has to look like the client's pet and of course, they have to be in love with it too!

 

You can follow the progress of this and many other portraits on my official facebook page and website 

Step 9 of Egret pastel painting

Now that I've completed the feathers on this bird and satisfied enough to leave them alone, I have begun working the foliage. At first, I painted the leaves a yellow green hue that went well with rest of the painting BUT just did not sit well with the frame. I then opted to try a blueish tint which was ok but perhaps a bit to saturated with blue.

After my third attempt (below), I believe this is the best color scheme that will suit both the frame and the rest of the painting. While it is nice to have frames on hand, sometimes, it can be a pain to match them to a particular color scheme in a composition and the artist has to be prepared to make changes along the way. Perhaps  I should have done a sample thumbnail composition first but I was happy experimenting and adapting the color scheme as I was working my way through this painting.

Step 6 Great Egret Painting in pastel

During the last few days, I've been working on making more time-lapse videos of  Pet Portrait Christmas commissions (which I will share in my next post).  Eventually, when this bird painting is finished, I will be making a video clip of it as well.

Later this afternoon, I took some time out to continue working on the wing feathers of the Great Egret. It can be hard to resist the temptation to overwork parts of a painting...which is what I unfortunately felt I was doing today! I think I will leave those parts of the wing feathers and move on to a different section...

Before the day is over, I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I plan to create quite a number of personal pieces this year as I get ready for a solo show! 

Step 5 Great Egret Bird Painting work in progress

On this step I have completed most of the bird's long neck feathers. I continue to add dark to medium grey and brown pastel as my under-painting, to created those parts of the white plumage that are darkened by shadows. Stay tuned for more feather painting!!

For those who are curious, the bird is a Great Egret, (Ardea alba), also named the Common Egret, Great White Heron.

Step 4 of Egret bird painting using pastels

I am at the stage now where the bird is starting to pop out of the painting.  The light subject and a dark background creates strong contrast.  Keep watching for more updates!

Egret bird painting work in progress

Now that I've worked most of the background on the left side of the bird, the fun part of adding the main subject can begin!

Although it may be hard to see on this image, I've been adding undertones to the bird's head feathers to give some strong contrast against the white body. Click on the closeup image for a better view.

Painting Progress of a Shetland Sheepdog Portrait

My favorite part of a portrait is when the face begins to pop off the page...and this little champ definitely has the cuteness factor to boot!


Shelties have a gorgeous coat with beautiful color and markings but rendering realistic fur can be a challenge. Here, I've added many layers of pastel to achieve the color, texture and depth of the dog's luscious coat.

I am now convinced that this dog painting is progressing to the point that I am starting to see the light! LOL 

The "ART" of Meditation and Relaxation

I am finally back in the studio after a slight hiatus! It feels great to be able to sit at the easel and lose myself in total relaxation as I listen to music and simply paint. Relax you might say?? Some of you might find it hard to believe that creating art can become a form of meditation. It has for me.
As my mind becomes focused I am forced to concentrate on the task at hand, hence the mental distractions disappear.  Of course, frustration can negatively impact this state of bliss so I try to keep that at a minimum by staying calm and simply believing in myself.♥

Below is a detail snap shot of a new work in progress. I hope you will enjoy the transformation of a blank piece of paper into a special work of art.
 

 P.S. You can follow the progression of this dog painting from start to finish by subscribing to my Facebook page "Animal Artistry of Colette Theriault".   Simply "Like" my page and future posts should end up automatically in your  news feed... OR... you can "Follow by Email" (Both the Facebook and Follow by Email links are located on right hand side of this blog post)  ------------>>>>

Time-lapse Progression Video of Springer Spaniel Painting

I put together a video of the progress of the springer spaniel dog portrait commission that was painted last year. The painting commemorated the life of "Rex", who spent most of his life bringing joy and comfort to the sick, destitute and lonely. He was often referred to as the life and soul of Magical Paws, Sudbury, Ontario. Hope you enjoy watching the process and don't forget to turn up the volume!

New bird painting in pastel on my easel

I've been working on my newest miniature painting which will be part of a triptych. I am mostly using very sharp pastel pencils for this piece as it only measures 4"x3". It is much more difficult to render fine detail in such a tight space but I do love the challenge of creating these little pieces!

Progress of Belgian Malinois Portrait

I took the following photo, which shows the next step of the dog portrait, with my phone and so the colors are way off. It will have to do for now, I suppose...until I scan a final version of the completed artwork and make any necessary color adjustments.

On this step, I'm almost finished the fur on the neck/shoulder and then I will move on to finishing off the background (which should be a breeze)!

Stay tuned for the conclusion to this painting...

Painting the smiley dog mouth...

I've completed the Malinois' nose and the rest of the cheeks and muzzle on this step. I've also begun defining the mouth and  adding the tongue and shadows along the jawline. Next I will complete fur of the ruff and collar and probably move on to complete the rest of the dog's mouth.

The actual painting is a bit darker than shown and the green background is more on the bluish side...

Malinois portrait progress

In this step, I've painted more of the very short muzzle fur and the nose (which still needs some tweaking). So far, I have layered up to 6 different pastel colors in order to render this dog's fur. 

 

Below you can see the fur details up close (larger than actual size).  Since the small precise strokes require a very sharp and crisp point there is a need for constant sharpening. Concentration and a steady hand is essential to lay the fur correctly. This process is quite time consuming and there is still much more work to be done...

Malinois portrait painting progress...layering of fur!

For this dog portrait, there is much layering of the pastel to get the fur just right! It is essential for the color, length and direction of the fur to be accurate in order to render a realistic portrait.

You will notice that the dark facial mask characteristic of the malinois breed has faded due to the appearance of grey/white flecking that naturally comes with aging.

To view more of my work, visit www.colettetheriault.com

Dog portrait progress of a painting...

I don't know why uploading images to blogger alters the color and fuzzes out the detail but the green background on this painting is totally off (it should be more forest green, toward the blue spectrum)! Oh well, regardless, I wanted to share an update now that I've added the eyes and started layering the facial fur. It is a tedious process of layering and blending the pastels directly on the suede but well worth the results.
He still looks sort of funny at this stage with his nose and open smiley mouth only sketched in.

Commissioned painting of a dog in pastel

After completing a dog drawing commission, I am busy with this new painting of a handsome malinois.

Some of you might wonder how come I haven't started with the eyes?  I felt that I'd rather begin laying in the messy background first (from the top) then working my way down the ears.  I'll most likely tackle the eyes next only because I hate looking at a ghostly figure for too long.