Alfie in coloured pencil

Sweet Alfie, a commission I have recently completed. He looks like he was a special chap, now passed over the Rainbow Bridge and is sadly missed by his family.

I have chosen coloured pencil for Alfie and decided to concentrate on him only and keep the background clean, which I think suits him. Sometimes, and I use gut instinct here, I think a pet will look better with a soft coloured background and other times I feel that a clean background serves the purpose better. I don't know what it is that steers me in one direction or the other, but it does seem to work if I just go with the flow.

Size: A4

Medium: Faber Castell Polychromos

Support: Fabrianno Artistico HP

Lovely Willow in pastels

Meet Willow, a very laid back Golden Retriever, well aren't they all? She wasn't bothered that she was supposed to be co-operating for her photo shoot, just lay down or came up to me for a cuddle and a kiss, and wasn't interested in showing her 'best side'. We finally managed to get some interest from her when the treats were brought out and at last I managed to get one or two suitable shots to work from. This is the result.

Medium: pastels, sticks and pencils.

Support: Fisher 400 sanded paper

Size: A3

Dino -Black Cat in Coloured Pencil

This is a commission I have recently completed of Dino, a handsome black cat. As is often the case with black animals the photos were not very clear and as Dino has passed over the Rainbow Bridge, it was not possible to get any more taken, but I am happy with the end result and feel I have done him justice. I particularly like his bright eyes.

Medium: Prismacolour pencils

Support: Clairfontein Pastelmatt

Size: A4