Pet portraits in pencil of dogs

Black and white pencil portraits are usually created using either graphite or charcoal. Sometimes, I use both types of pencils to render a drawing, in order to achieve the deepest of blacks. Since traditional pencil drawings do not involve using any white pencil, the white marks or areas are actually the white of the paper showing through.
These sweet pooches were commissioned as a Christmas gift for my client's spouse. Sadly, Joe has passed but I was fortunate to meet miss Bree when the client received their portraits.

 

 "Joe"

English Setter

pencil drawing

5x7

commission

 

 

"Bree"

German Shepherd

pencil drawing

5x7

commission

Winter Snowshoe Hare Pencil Drawing

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and many thanks for all the support and encouragement throughout the year!

This year we have an unusually warm and green Christmas. While I really enjoy the warmer temps, I sort of miss the beautiful blanket of snow. I am sure the snowshoe hare probably prefers the white stuff as well since his white coat makes him stick out like a sore thumb amid the browns, golds and greens of the forest!

Today's work in the studio...

I am feeling quite relieved that I was able to accomplish much of the body and front legs of the cat today. I have a client commission in pastel to get to work on but I feel the need to finish the lazy cat before the studio becomes full of colorful dust!

Overdue update!

Feels like forever since my last post but so much has been going on here that I just did not have the time to update my blog. Business and personal life just kept getting in the way!

For starters, I just returned from a 20 day trip from USA and Eastern Canada. Our family and I traveled to Lake Placid, New York with the next stop being Bar Harbour, Maine were we visited spectacular Acadia National Park. While in Maine, I also had the opportunity to photograph native wildlife on a preserve while being up close to the animals. Being inside a wolf enclosure sure was an amazing experience and the poses I was able to capture will surely become some of my next painting projects. Bears, tigers, lynx, deer and moose were some of the other animals I was able to photograph at the preserve.  I have all the inspiration I need now!!

The second part of our trip, we returned to Canada and travelled to Nova Scotia and camped on the Bay of Fundy in Grand Pre. A good friend of ours was getting married so we had a whole week to explore the province! The highlight of that stay was probably photographing and filming the thousands of migratory plovers and sandpipers that feed off the rich invertebrates found in the mud of the Bay of Fundy. The most exciting moment was watching the swift (and rare!!)  peregrine falcons bomb diving the flock of birds in an attempt for a kill. Wow, these birds are fast!!

The trip home was exciting as well since we had to plow through the remnants of hurricane Irene...it seems it rained forever and the winds were so strong, swaying the truck and trailer at times so hard that it felt we were in a boat (and getting queasy)!  Oh, and I should mention the hydroplaning was an experience as well...I am thankful for hubby for being such a great driver!

Just before leaving for my trip, I completed another commission of a dog for a client in Newfoundland. This is a Shih Tzu nammed Hannah, 11x14, graphite on Fabriano paper.

And now that I am back, I was able to try out my new glass top drafting table and daylight lamp while I started working on my next commission of a horse (pastel on green suede).

I am happy to be back at the easel!!

And the nose follows!

I really enjoyed working on Ana's textured nose and flabby jowls. She seems rather funny without her neck and shoulders though! Hopefully, I'll be able to finish this portrait in a few more sittings as I have several more Christmas commissions waiting on the easel.

Lots of grass!

I decided to start tackling more of the grass today...a long tedious process almost as tiring as drawing the fur itself. Believe me, it is easy to loose yourself in all that grass!

It can be difficult to create realistic grass using graphite since the lighter strands are created by negative drawing. Of course, I could spend many, many more hours reworking the grass and improving the look but I feel it is not necessary here since the main focus is on the dog.

Drawing the Peace Tower (Canadian Parliament in Ottawa)

Size 11" x 15", graphite pencil

In getting ready for my fall exhibition, I was able to finish one more piece of artwork today. While it is true that this creation is not what I traditionally paint or draw, I still did manage to add a little bit of wildlife in the drawing. I just could not resist!
Now to the task of framing and then finding a suitable title.
For those of you who are wondering, the reference photo was taken through the arches of the East Block.

Portrait of Brother Richard

I rarely draw people but this was a special commission for a dear friend. This portrait is of Brother Richard whom is a faith healer and will be presented to him as a Christmas gift. I love the way this portrait was framed, using a cathedral type cut near the top (arch) and a beautiful laser cut cross below the drawing, in a beautiful metal frame...perfect for framing graphite artwork!



Click here to view a larger image: http://www.colettetheriault.com/artist.php at the bottom of the page.

Japanese Akita Pencil Drawing

One of the Christmas commissions I've been working on. This dog portrait measures 14" x 18" and was created using graphite and charcoal pencils on smooth Bristol paper. Click here to view more: http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/petdescriptions/Akita_drawing.php

Cat and butterfly portrait

I've just recently completed yet another Christmas commission. It is a graphite pencil drawing featuring a beloved rescue cat relaxing in a field of dainty daisies.
The original reference photograph featured "Puppy" the cat resting on a webbing lawn chair.

Reference photograph: http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/petdescriptions/Domestic_cat.php