Pet Portraits in Pastel

This is Daisy the lovely little cockapoo. What a treat she was to work on - those great big eyes and fluffy face!

Daisy's colouring suited the pale grey background I used here. I normally use either pale grey, anthracite (very dark grey), dark blue or white backgrounds.

For my pastel paintings I use a heavy duty paper called Pastelmat that really grabs the pastels, and allows me to use multiple layers. This is fantastic for creating realistic fur effects. I'll make my suggestions for your paper colour when you book and supply your photos, but of course it is your decision. I do understand that the portraits need to fit in with existing decor / colour schemes.

This is Olive the beautiful tabby cat. 

Olive's fur colours, along with quite a bit of white on her tummy and her lovely green eyes looked great on a paler coloured background.

Before returning to the UK, Olive actually spent some time living in South Africa, where she is pictured alongside her portrait when it had just arrived!

What a well-travelled little cat

 

Lilly - meet Lilly!

Lilly has a stable right across from the two horses I help to look after. Her portrait was a secret Christmas present arranged as a surprise for her owner.

It was very handy having the "real" Lilly to refer to in real life. 

I'm sure she wondered why I was  often right up to her face, staring intently at her on many occasions! She forgave me in return for the occasional treat of a carrot or a mint though...

She's a lovely girl and has an incredible bond with her owner. It was a lovely project to work on, even if it was difficult to keep it secret!