Commissioned Chihuahua dog portrait using pastels

When I was asked to create this portrait to commemorate Brembo the Mexican Chihuahua, it was easy to choose which photo I was to work from.  Although the eyes looked darker and the background was busy, everything else about the pose was simply just perfect!

You can see the progression of this portrait on my FB page Animal Artistry Portraits and I am hoping to create a video as well and post to my YouTube channel in the not too distant future.

 In the meantime, I have many personal projects I want to work on but have been getting a steady stream of clients so the paying work has to come first. I enjoy every bit of it and would not want to be doing anything other than painting and drawing except perhaps spending time playing in the gardens. Summer is so short, we have to take advantage of the warm sunny days when they occur.

Stay warm and don't forget to take some time to smell the roses!

 

 Brembo

Blonde Chihuahua

soft pastels

8x10

Commission (Sold)

Yellow Labrador mix pet portrait pastel painting

Sometimes it is not possible to acquire that perfect pet photo reference that is so important in creating a suitable portrait. Most often it is because the pet has passed and finding good photographs can be almost impossible. However, I can generally use several not-so-good poses to come up with a nice composition that the client will be pleased with. Such was the situation when creating the portrait of lovely "Maggie", the beloved family pet of my client's friend.

In this pose, I had to use the head shot of a different image and "magically" transfer it to the body pose of another photo. It is not always easy because one needs to take into consideration angles, lighting, color and of course, proportions.  Maggie was a well fed pooch and so I strived to capture her true (full) silhouette...

This dog is yellow Labrador most likely mixed with German shepherd.  I wonder what breed she got her white feet from?

Pet Portrait of "Maggie"

14"x18"

pastel

 commission

Painting of Chocolate and Yellow Labrador Retriever portrait

Some months, time goes buy so fast that I barely remember the days. I work on many different projects simultaneously and so it can be easy to loose track of the world around me.

Anyways, I home to find more time to post more updates to this blog. Here is a commissioned piece that was presented to a happy Dad on Father's Day.  I am told that he feels like the dogs keep looking at him no matter where he moves to in the room and he is quite elated by that! It's like his dogs are again by his side, keeping him company.

 

Apollo & Cassey

11x14

pastel

COMMISSION

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 

Dog Portrait of Shih Tzu and Terrier mix

Pets mean so much to us that they have taken the role of our "furry children" as some people call them. The loyal companionship and unconditional love are probably the main reasons why we keep pets. So, it is no wonder that we want to cherish them forever, and what better way to honor them than with a custom portrait?

I am always thankful when it is possible to meet my subjects in real life as I can instantly get a sense of their true character...something that I always strive to capture on a portrait, along with the obviously important true likeness of course! So, when I was asked to help with photographing these two "fur sisters", I was thrilled at the chance to meet them. As I explained to the client, it is not necessary to capture the two pets on the same photo...that is something that the artist has the ability and freedom to do when they paint or draw their portrait!

Since it is not always possible for me to photograph your pet, I obviously must rely on the client to provide me with photos of them. I am always available to help you choose the right photos for your pet and create one or several "mock up" images to help you decide on the right pose, FREE of charge.  And if you don't have that "perfect" photo of your pet, no worries as I can use my artistic license along with your verbal or written description to create a likeness that you will love!

Chloe and Kacey

11x14

pastel

Commission

Painting in Pastel: A Golden Retriever Portrait Commission

I was asked to paint a portrait of this charming Golden Retriever to be presented as a birthday/graduation gift.  The pose below is actually a composite created from two of the client's photographs (the dog was in the snow).  It can be tricky to compose a portrait in this manner as the artist has to consider lighting, angles, and proportions and ensure these are accurately rendered. 

To view more detail, click the image to enlarge.

"Cooper"

8x10

pastel

Commission

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!

Portrait of Belgian Malinois Painting in Pastel

As promised, here is the finished and client approved version of the Belgian Malinois dog portrait using pastels.

After sketching the outline and major features of the dog, I worked the top half of the background first.  Then I started with the ears and worked my way down the dog's face. The last part was adding the darker green on the lower half of the background.

You can follow the work in progress on my website

"Zorro"

Belgian Malinois

pastel

9" x 12"

COMMISSION

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.

Flat Coated Retriever Dog Portrait Painting in Pastel

Words truly cannot express the feelings I experience when the client unwraps their portrait and I get to see their reaction as they finally view it in person for the first time. I often find it overwhelming actually, that through my artistic creations I am able to evoke intense mixed reactions of comfort, joy, sadness and perhaps even closure for the owners as they remember their cherished pet. This, in addition to the heartfelt comments I receive, indicate to me that I indeed succeeded in portraying the animal's true character and likeness... just reward for my efforts.

"Galoche"
pastel on suede
11"x14"
Commissioned Portrait

The start of painting the dog face

With the background complete, I now am excited to finally start painting fur! Until all the main features of the face are added, I find that a portrait always looks ghostly at this stage. You'll see once I add the mouth, this dog's expression will undoubtedly change.

Stay tuned folks! I'm working hard at finishing this in the next few days even though I am teaching a 2-day workshop booked for this weekend.  I hope to be able to pull it off!

W

Flatcoated Retriever Pet Portrait

Here's a bit more work I've been doing on the backdrop for this wonderful garden setting.  The black dog will stand out well against the greenery and interspersed flowers.

By the way, this dog is said to be a cross from a setter/dalmatian/flat coated retriever. Quite the perfect model she is!

Dog Portrait Commission from photo

I will be working this special commission in between others to reach deadlines. Can anybody guess the breed?

I am using pastels on archival suede which is one of my favorite supports, and the portrait measures 11x14. I hope you will follow me and that you will enjoy watching this piece progress!

The painting studio and animal portraits

It must seem like after completing the wolf painting, I have disappeared from the face of the earth but actually, I have been working on several projects at once. So I thought I'd share a few projects that are at various stages of completion in my studio.

First is a very rough sketch of a six cat portrait commission, most of which are Siamese type breeds and one amusing Scottish fold! Two cats in particular will be challenging to paint due to poor quality photos but with the client's feedback and scanning/zooming the photos on my computer to see more detail, I am confident it will all work out in the end.  I did start the cat on the top left which is one that I only have poor quality photos of. I felt I'd better start with the most challenging one and then the rest should be a breeze, right?

Another project I will be working on is that of my friend's beautiful dog, a flat coated retriever named "Galoche".  I will share more of this special commission on my blog at a later date. Below is a mock- up image composed of two photographs combined to create the reference I will use for the dog portrait.

Lastly, I completed a dog pencil drawing commission of which I have not shown any updates yet. Once the owner approves the final version of their portrait, I will post the artwork along with a few work in progress stages. So stay tuned and have a happy day everyone!

Time Lapse Dog Portrait - painting progress of Springer spaniel

Time to reveal my very first time lapse video of the progress of a dog painting! This portrait of a Springer Spaniel named Rex was done using pastels.

Golden Retriever Painting ...update on the eyes

I was able to sit in the studio today and work on this Golden's beautiful eyes. There is a bit more tweaking to be done one the eye shape, and so the next update might give the dog a slightly different look.

The image below is cropped to show more of the face in the painting. Click on the image for a larger view.



Golden Retriever Painting in progress

Limited Edition Prints Anyone?

Well, it has been a busy week getting a whole bunch of limited edition giclée prints ready and framed for display at a local frame shop. The store should be well stocked and ready for pre-Christmas sales.

Prints and cards are also available for purchase through my website here: http://www.colettetheriault.com/prints.php  If you are interested in a print of a particular piece of art, simply drop me an email and I will advise you of the total cost and if it is available.

Since I print on-demand, practically any of my pieces can be turned into prints because it is easier on the pocket book (I don't have to order 100's of identical prints at once for any particular artwork).

  Who said artists' job is to only paint and draw??

I took some studio time today to add the background to the Golden Retriever painting so here she is so far:

Add caption

Painting Progress of Shetland Sheepdog Portrait

On this step, I completed the ears and added more layers to saturate the background color. I also tweaked the eyes a little as well as several areas on the face.

 

I might revisit the background at a later date but next I move on to the long fur I enjoy painting the most...that of the bib and neck.

 

Dog Portrait of Sheltie on the easel

After spending a three week vacation/field trip to Florida, it's time to get back to some serious work in the studio. Although I have been very busy with many tasks and chores at home and in the studio both prior to and after my trip, it can be overwhelming to actually sit down  and simply paint for any period of time. It will take some training to get my mind into that "creative mode" once again and leave all my distractions behind and prioritize and delegate items on that to-do list!

So I bit the bullet this afternoon and finally put on some music, sat at my easel and started working on this new dog portrait. I will divulge more details about how I came to paint his piece at a later date but for now, I can share the work in progress.