Another Sample Pet Portrait - Dreamy

Dreamy

8x10 inches

Pastel pencils and pan pastels on Pastelmat

Another sample portrait done - if this image looks a little familiar to you, I did draw it once before in coloured pencil for an ACEO. The reference photo for this and the other little artwork was provided with kind permission by Tanakawho
from Flickr creative commons. I so enjoy doing the animal portraits on the Pastelmat, so ordered some more yesterday.

Just for fun - Pixel

Pixel

9x12 inches

Pastel pencils and Pan pastels on pastelmat

This was not a commission, but an exercise I wanted to do to assess the suitability of pastelmat for doing pet portraits. In the past, I've always done them on velour because it gives such a lovely, soft look to the fur, but I have also had lots of problems getting the pastel to stay on the velour, even with multiple coats of fixative - so frustrating when you have spent hours on a portrait. I am definitely a convert to the pastelmat. It is easy to achieve the same soft results, but the pastel stays put!!! I'm in love!!! A huge thank you to bwhistler from Flickr Creative Commons for giving his kind permission for the use of his gorgeous reference photo for this artwork.

Tiny commission - Frostbite

Frostbite

2.5 x 3.5 inches

Coloured pencil on drafting film

This was a commission for a wonderful customer who bought many of my ACEO's when I was producing them in a big way. As a way of saying thank you to my customer for all her support, I offered to do her a larger portrait at no extra charge, but she said she would rather have a tiny one. It is funny with miniature art, many of my well meaning friends, and even other artists, have asked me why I don't work larger, or "it is a shame that artwork isn't bigger!" What many of them don't realise, is that in most instances it takes me just as long to produce a tiny commission like this, as it does to produce a larger one. Miniature art reminds me of when I was young and would get a special present for my Birthday that I treasured so much I would carry it around with me and sit it on my bedside table at night. These little miniatures are so small they can be popped in a handbag, or sat on a dresser. Large works of art can be appreciated from a distance, but miniature artworks invite us to come closer to really study the artwork and look with wonder at each tiny brush stroke or pencil line. We can hold them in the palm of our hand like a little treasure. I get mesmerised by looking at other people's miniature art and seeing what they can achieve in tiny spaces.

Latest commission - Raela and Dom

Raela and Dom

8x10 inches

Graphite, black pencil, Cretacolor negro and pan pastels on drafting film

One of the challenges I find working with graphite is achieving strong contrasts. I know a lot of artists combine charcoal and graphite very effectively in their artworks, but I find pure charcoal and even charcoal blends don't go well on the drafting film. I picked up a bundle of darker coloured drawing pencils from the artshop to have a bit of a play. Most must have contained predominantly charcoal, and basically scratched at the surface of the drafting film, but one - the Cretacolor Negro (we must have old stock, because I read the name has since been changed to Nero) works well on the drafting film. Apparently, it is charcoal based, but oils have been added making it much smoother than regular charcoal based pencils. I do use pure black pencils in my portraits sometimes, but then it can be a challenge blending the black with the graphite for a natural transition. In this portrait, Dom's hair was done entirely with the Cretacolor Negro, and you can blend it slightly with the tortillon as well. This pencil gives a softer black than a black pencil, which I was really happy with. The decoration in Raela's hair had no definition in the reference photo and was actually quite hard to pick out from the background, and for this I used a Faber Castell black pencil, followed by black Pan pastel for a smoother result. Always learning!!!!

Latest commission - Peter the Red

Peter the Red

8x10 inches

Soft pastel and pan pastels on Pastelmat

Not much to report today. The Pastelmat used in this portrait really is a joy to work with and I would be interested to hear if anyone else has tried it and what their thoughts might be. I am keen to try some pet portraits on this surface to see whether it is suitable for fur. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and be back soon!!!! :)

Mark down on Commissioned Pastel Portraits

I am currently working on another pastel portrait and am enjoying this medium so much that for a short time only, I'm offering 10% off on all pastel portraits for people and pets. The sale should show up on Ebay as a markdown over the next 24 hours, but if you purchase from other sites, just mention this blog for a 10% discount. This discount is not available for any other mediums at this stage.

Miniature Art Group on RedBubble

Our submission for a Miniature Art Group has been accepted on RedBubble and we would love to have any artists who enjoy working in miniature come and join us on RedBubble. There is no joining fee, or obligation to participate, just a wonderful interactive site, where you can share your artwork, sell some prints if you wish, and hopefully get to know other miniature artists. Hope to see you there!!!! :)