Tuesday, November 27, 2012

White Persian Cat Portrait Painting in Pastel

Most of you will have recognised the breed of cat featured on this portrait is none other than the Persian. With his long haired coat, round face and pushed-in face, the Persian is the most popular cat breed in the United States today.

I created this portrait using pastel on medium gray suede paper which is very well suited to give a soft, fluffy appearance to the fur.

White Persian Cat Painting by Pet Portrait Artist Colette Theriault
"Nikita"
White Persian Portrait
8"x10"
pastel on archival paper
Commission
To read more about this painting, please visit my website at: http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/petdescriptions/Persian_Cat_Painting.php

Cat portrait update

I plan on finishing this Persian cat portrait today as there is not much left to do; fill in the rest of that bushy tail and front paws and the side of the chair.

This scan of the pastel painting has been color adjusted to match as close as possible the original. However, the contrast is more difficult to match probably because the pastel dust particles have reflective properties and the intensity can change depending on the direction of the light.

cat portrait in pastel by Colette Theriault

Monday, November 26, 2012

Soft Pastel on Sandpaper Workshop

Last weekend, I presented a 2-day workshop for members of the Rayside Balfour Whitewater Lake Brush and Palette Art Club. During the workshop, I demonstrated the techniques that I use for creating my pastel portraits with sandpaper as the support. Judging from their facial expression, I presume they were quite happy with their results.

Soft Pastel Techniques on Sandpaper Workshop by Colette Theriault Pet Portrait Artist

 I was told that the participants enjoyed themselves so much that they requested I return early next year to teach them how to work pastel on suede and velour papers! I am delighted that my workshops encourage other artists to give pastel a try.... and it seems I have many of them hooked on the medium and thirsty to learn more about this versatile and enduring medium.

Keep on Painting!

Colette

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Pet Portrait of the Feline Kind!

It has been a busy season so far as I try to catch up on client commissions. Seems like the time just flies buy and then it's the new year!

I hope you enjoy following the progress of this "princess" cat. Keep watching for more updates!

Pet Portrait Commissions by Colette Theriault Canadian Animal Artist

Border Collie Portrait in pastel

It seems I forgot to post an update of this finished pet portrait commission; my apologies to my followers!!

This charming and playful dog is actually a border collie/German shepherd cross. As a pup, she was rescued after being hit by a vehicle and suffered a broken leg. When she was well enough to be adopted, she was lucky to have found a very loving home in Minnesota (her new owner drove over 14 hours to get her).

Now that she is all grown up, her owner wanted to portray the boundless energy, charisma and charm of her best friend with this unique portrait. Believe it or not, a total of 5 photos were used to create this composition, which included replacing the head on the body with one from another photo.

 I hope you enjoyed watching this portrait develop as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Border Collie Pet Portrait Painting by Colette Theriault
"Izabel"
Border Collie/German Shepherd Portrait
18" x 14"
pastel

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Tennessee Walker Horse Portrait in Pastel

I have just received approval tonight from the client in regards to this commission! I will be busy securing and packing the artwork so that it is ready to ship tomorrow. All of my artwork is shipped flat... the portrait surface is protected with a sheet of glassine paper and then carefully sandwiched in between several layers of cardboard. Then, I use plastic wrap to "waterproof" the artwork before securing with an additional layer of cardboard on either side, which is taped and sealed shut with clear packing tape.

The Tennessee Walking Horse featured on the portrait is described as dark bay. The original photos were not really good and so I had to use several different shots that the client gave me to come up with this composition.

Tennessee walking horse portrait in pastel by animal artist Colette Theriault
Tennessee Walker
Pastel
14x18
To read more about this painting, visit my website http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/paint1description/Tennessee_Walker_Horse_painting.php

Friday, November 2, 2012

More progress on the horse painting commission

This horse's coat color is what is called dark bay. I am achieving the dark color by adding many layers of pastel on top of each other, with a reddish brown being the base coat. One can still see areas where the base coat still appears even though the darker grey black pastel has been added on top.
progress of a horse painting commission in pastel by Colette Theriault