Saturday, December 31, 2011

Pet Portrait Gift Certificates for Christmas Present

For those who are looking for a last minute gift for that special someone, it is never too late to order a pet portrait gift certificate. No need to wait for it to arrive in the mail, my gift certificates can be printed at home on your computer in just a few clicks of the mouse and voila! Here is an example of one of my pet portrait certificates:
Pet Portrait Gift Certificate by Animal Artist Colette Theriault
You can order your gift certificate for an orginal pet portrait in any amount you choose here:

Monday, December 12, 2011

American Bulldog Pencil Portrait in Graphite (enhanced)

While I await client approval, I wanted to share with you this dog portrait's new "look" with the darker background. I really feel this is what was missing to make the dog stand out from the page, whereas before, he seemed to blend too much with the background. You can probably notice on this update the subtle hint of color (used colored pencils) of the eyes, eye patch and muzzle.
American Bulldog Pencil Portrait in Graphite by Colette Theriault
"Pearl"~American Bulldog
graphite pencil /charcoal and cp on Fabriano paper
10"x10"

To view the progression of this portrait visit my website at
http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/workinprogess/American_Bulldog_wip.php

Pencil Portrait Step 7: the chest

Well, this is it! The fur has been completed on the neck and chest area. It was amazing to draw those tiny hairs and to follow the direction of the hair growth, especially at the central "cow lick". 

I have decided that the background should be darker still and so off the the easel I go!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Pencil Portrait Step 6: the collar

I have always found it challenging to achieve an accurate representation of a graphite pencil portrait using a scanner (or camera for that matter). For this update I decide to scan the portrait rather than take a digital photo. Although I could have further adjusted this scan for correctness using Photoshop, I much rather wait till the end and spend time drawing . The shinny reflective quality of the pencils is what makes it difficult; one scan can come out one way, while the simple act of repositioning the portrait on the glass will result in a different scan!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Pet Portrait Step 5: the mouth and chin

You can't see the detail very well  on this update but there actually is some hint of pink color on the muzzle, around the right eye and inside the ears. The eyes and marking around the left eye also have some brown tints. I call this type of portrait "enhanced graphite" due to the additional hints of colored pencil application.

Pet Portrait Step 4: the wrinkles and an ear

While it may not seem like the portrait has advanced significantly since my last post, I did put quite a bit of time on what I have done so far. My method consists of indenting fine hairs with my pencil, burnishing, erasing and then applying additional layers of graphite on top of the previous.
I continue (not always in that particular order) until the desired tonal value and level of detail is achieved. This may also require me to go back to previously finished areas to adjust the overall tone of the portrait.

I do find the process more time consuming on a white dog due to the fact that the images I work with are almost always of low contrast and the subtleties in the lighter tones or values are more difficult to adjust.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Pencil Portrait Step 3: the muzzle

In this sitting, I have mainly worked the nose and muzzle area but also started to work the fur on the right side of the dog's face and the wrinkles on the forehead. I will probably complete the top of the dog's head next to prevent smudging as I work my way down. I always use a clean piece of white paper as a hand guard but prefer to work around previously worked areas.

Pencil Portrait Step 2: the eyes and nose

Although I did start working the dog's right ear first, an overwhelming feeling to draw the eyes almost always overcomes me. I feel compelled to finish the eyes first as it gives me a good idea if I was able to capture the character of my subject effectively. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul;only once I am satisfied that the eyes are perfect, can I then move on to work other areas, usually the nose.
Excuse the bad image...graphite never really does scan or photograph very well due to the reflective nature of the medium. I'll try to do better on the next update.


Pencil Portrait Step 1: Background

Last night, I began the preparatory work for my next dog commission. This included creating a mock  image using Photoshop, printing out a life size b/w copy and selecting the paper (in this case, I chose Fabriano Artistico paper). Since my subject is mainly white, I decided to start with the darker background and then apply a workable fixative to prevent smudging on the white areas. Before spraying, I masked the dog using the paper cutout from my b/w copy to avoid getting the fixative on the virgin areas. Through experience, I have found that fixative will change the attribute of the paper, hence  affecting the appearance of additional layers of graphite.

The paper cutout was also useful for masking when I worked the background.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Change of pace

It seems my eagle portrait will have to take the back seat for a while due to an unexpected commission; probably just as well because I was getting very frustrated with it today and it almost was shredded and dumped in the garbage bin.

On a brighter note, I added the finishing touches and scanned the Appaloosa portrait since it was approved by the client. I share with you the final version of the horse in pastel.

Appaloosa Horse Painting in Pastel by Colette Theriault
"Bally"~Appaloosa Horse Portrait
pastel on suede
18"x14"
To view the progression of this painting please visit my website here:
In my next post will feature the beginings of another dog portrait; this time using graphite pencils enhanced with color. I love the pose the client chose and I sense it will be a reall "winner" portrait due to her cute looks! Stay tunned!!

Friday, December 2, 2011

More Bird Feathers

Painting realistic bird feathers can be challenging at best and working with pastels is no exception.  I, for one, have come to realize that I have grown to dislike painting feathers, especially more so after working this piece to death!   I consider this another exercise; one that has forced me to practice something I dislike and truly frustrates me. I hope this bird painting does not find it's way in my "behind the door" pile...