This is Miley the frenchie who was quite interesting to draw. Although you may think that single-tone coats are straightforward, they are anything but! There are so many colours you wouldn’t initially expect, such as pinky-purples, orange, blues, and silvery hues that your eyes don’t really see at first glance, but they give a drawing more realism.
9 x 12 Clairefontaine PaintOn
A commission recently gifted – this is the lovely Bonnie who has sadly passed over the rainbow bridge but was very special to their owner.
A first time using the new Clarefontaine PaintOn range of coloured papers, this one is the grey, similar to the Strathmore I’ve been using, but handles much better and was very enjoyable to draw on.
The second of my Nimbus series – tried a slightly different technique this time getting all the whites & light tones in first to speed up the process and to avoid it going ‘muddy.’
Working over the whole piece instead of just sections it came together much better and I prefer this method of working – unfortunately when creating bigger pieces it is not always feasible to do this as you end up bracing your hand on areas you’ve worked, but for this size I was able to get away with it.
9 x 9 on Strathmore Toned Grey
My second go using drafting film – Saxon the wolf-dog who lived at Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre.
Picked up as a stray and in poor condition, in Northern Ireland, Saxon’s days were numbered. He was housed at a pound whilst they tried to find a licensed home to take him on. No zoos would take him because he was a hybrid, and having too high a percentage of wolf, he could not be placed in a domestic setting (as per UK law). Thankfully Gentleshaw had a suitable enclosure and gave him a home, quickly becoming a firm favourite with visitors and staff. An impressive but gentle giant, he lived at the centre for 10 years until old age caught up with him last month and he slipped over the rainbow bridge peacefully, on his own terms.
He liked to sit with his paws crossed, I wanted to include that in my portrait which meant doing a full body – something I don’t do that often. It would also mean creating a bit of background to sit on which I know isn’t easy on this surface. As well as the ‘fake’ blur/depth of field that some modern phones create (which I don’t like) I was really challenging myself and pushing just how much I could achieve on this surface. Did I swear and stomp and tear my hair out? You bet I did! Are there things I would change? Of course! Did I learn a lot – absolutely!
12 x 16 Coloured pencil on drafting film
“Nimbus” A curious juvenile lanneret
9 x 9 on Strathmore Toned Grey
I have several shots of this inquisitive little fella which I might do as a series – what do you think?
“Adara” – Female european kestrel 9 x 12
I decided to revisit the toned paper to see how I feel about it – I had forgotten how challenging it was! Thankfully Strathmore has now produced a better version of this paper which I will be trying out in future.
The lovely Murphy is now complete!
A new challenge for me – a strange but very enjoyable surface called drafting film, used by architects and planners but increasing in popularity among coloured pencil artists.
12 x 16
Juvenile common buzzard. I used the lightfast paper again to see how it handles feather texture, and I found it a little tough going in comparison to doing fur. More experiments needed I think.
12×16
Very happy with how this has turned out – first time using the new Derwent Lightfast paper and oh my, this paper is like nothing else I’ve ever tried! I think it has been made by magical wizards!
This gorgeous chap is called Chester and was a Birthday gift.
Mulberry
Another piece completed before Xmas – this commission was actually a leaving gift for a member of bird staff at Muncaster Castle and depicts their barn owl Mulberry.
I am quite fond of barn owls, but drawing their complicated plumage usually results in a sore wrist and lots of swearing!
12 x 16 coloured pencil on Clairefontaine PaintOn gris (grey)
coloured pencil, sketchblog