Sheltie beginning to 'jump forward'

Here's today's progress - with thanks to helpful input from members of the pet-portrait forum and also those who go to the Hilsea Art Group in Portsmouth.  For those of you who don't attend an art group, I'd highly recommend it; it's encouraging and enables you to progress much quicker than you would on your own.

Close up of head and front feet.  The whole body has been darkened down, particularly underneath near the pole.  Detail still needs some work.

Blue Merle Sheltie - Scallywags Spring Spectacular Dog Agility 19 & 20 March 2011

Main colours blocked in in Cryla acrylic paints.  This is on A3 paper for acrylics and oils.  I spent a great weekend at the Scallywags Spring Spectacular Dog Agility Show and was inspired to paint these fantastic dogs in action.  This is a beautiful blue merle shetland sheepdog.

Close up of face.

More detail added in grass and dog with DR acrylic inks.

LucyLou's eyes

I'm still undecided on whether to put the snow in or not.  Today, though, I've put in a little more detail around the eyes and ears.

LucyLou, Rescue Sheltie

This is LucyLou a rescue Sheltie from Ireland. I decided to try out hard pastels on Pastelmat instead of my usual velour. It's quite a different surface; it feels like very fine cork and I have to work harder to get the fur effect I want.

This piece of pastelmat is very dark grey which I thought would bring out the white in her coat; the picture is taken of her in the snow and I may or may not try to put in the snowflakes afterwards!

 

A little more work on the muzzle here.

I've darkened down the left hand side and added white to the right and on her bib.  I've done this quite roughly with the side of the pastel stick; I'll add the detail in with the Faber Castell pit pastels.

Here's progress to date along with the reference photo.

Scooby all finished

Here he is all finished - in the whitest mount I could get.  The velour paper is amazingly white so some supposedly pure white mounts actually looked cream.  

Almost there with Scooby

Here's Scooby taped to my drawing board, almost done now. Today I've concentrated on the mouth and deepening the darker tones around the eyes and in the ears.

Here's a closer view; I need to do more work on the nose and around the chin.

Closer view of the eyes.

 

Progress on eyes and mouth

Adding more brown freckles in this one.  Made more progress on the tongue too.

Scooby's progress

Scooby, taking shape

Up and out with the dogs at 7am this morning, breakfast, kids off to school then down to work.  Pleased with progress this morning; I love velour paper, but  it's always there in the back of my mind 'I can't go wrong, I can't go wrong!' 

the mouth needs some work next

New Commission: Scooby, Springer Spaniel

It's always exciting, starting a new commission! My workstation's all organised, pastel pencils sharpened and I'm ready to go. So far then I've just started shading in the darker areas, particularly around the nose and eyes.

This portrait is on Hahnemuhle velour paper and I'm using mainly Faber-Castell pastel pencils, a few Derwent and conte crayons.

Close-up of the first shaded areas