I have been doing portraits for years, and animals got thrown into the mix along the way! Our beloved furry family members, sometimes called pets, are a delight to illustrate. Original art is a lovely way to remember those we have lost.
I have found the fur texture can be a challenge depending on the medium. As seen in the drawing of the two Corgis, fur is easy with pencils! I find the pencil much easier to control than wet paint. I have drawn many pencil portraits of animals, but one of my favorites which I, unfortunately, don’t have a picture of, was of a police officer and his K-9 unit. The German Sheppard’s hair was a blast!
I have highlighted three medium types in this post: graphite pencil, colored pencil, and oil paint. The colored pencil drawing of the Dalmatians had its own challenges. Achieving a realistic look and maintaining the form of the dogs while portraying the high-contrast coats on a white paper background was the tricky part with this one. All of these examples were commissioned work, but the Dalmatians were done for my brother-in-law. They dearly love their dogs, and this one was named “Heart” because of the heart-shaped black spot on her chest, which was a critical element to capture in this portrait.
Lastly is another dog portrait painted in oil. I stayed with my usual realism style with this one, and the fur and whiskers were quite challenging. The whiskers, in particular, require just the right consistency of paint and the perfect brush. My wonderful wife made a couple trips to the art store to get me the right tools. Painting with oils is more challenging for me than with a pencil. I changed the background color mid-way through the project, but this one turned out great in the end! Overall this was a great project featuring a family’s beautiful beloved Pit Bull.
I look forward to developing my oil painting skills with MORE pet portraits like this one. If you want to see more of my fine art drawings and paintings, click: HERE