Time Lapse Dog Portrait - painting progress of Springer spaniel

Time to reveal my very first time lapse video of the progress of a dog painting! This portrait of a Springer Spaniel named Rex was done using pastels.

Wolf gaze...painting in progress

After working hard to get the eyes to look realistic, I think I am now satisfied with the wolf's gaze. I may go back and do some tweaking but for now, I have to finish that back leg!  

 

The eyes have it...painting the windows to the soul!

Like many portraitists, I usually begin a painting by starting with the eyes. It is most important to get them just right so I won't continue a painting until I am satisfied them. You can see from the image below that I have done the exact opposite in this case.  Since this painting is large for my standards,  I had to work my way down the painting as opposed to working from the eyes outward to prevent smudging of the black pastel. Now wouldn't that be a disaster!  

 

I hope you enjoy following the progress of this wolf painting. Please share if you like!

 

Today's painting update of stalking gray wolf (pastel)

For now I am leaving the ears and moving on to painting the left side of the wolf's head. I will probably go back to touch up the ears again later but they will have to do for now.  I've included an enlarged cropped section of the ears to see the detail of the fur. Too bad my camera could not capture the richness of the colors but that will have to wait until I am ready to do the final scan.

 

 

Note the difference in the shape of the ears from this update to the previous entry.

Stalking wolf painting update: those furry ears!

It seems I am stalling at finishing the ears of my wolf...perhaps that is because I am having some difficulty with them.
The main reason is because the original reference image had the ears folded back and I did not want to portray them that way on my painting as I felt it made the wolf look too mean. So I hunted the reference library for "better" forward facing wolf ears to use as a guide. 
You may notice the ears are now slightly smaller and shaped differently from my original outline. Let's hope this works! 
My second excuse is I am having trouble getting focused on painting during this busy holiday season. Too many things to do in so little time but I do hope to finish him before the new year!!

The Gift of a Dog Portrait- Poodle Maltese Mix Painting in Pastel

I often get requests from clients to keep a portrait commission "secret" because it is intended as a birthday or Christmas gift for a special  someone. I love surprises! After many days or weeks of  secretly sharing updates of the work in progress via email with the client, nothing pleases me more to know that the stunt was pulled off and the recipient had no idea !!

No longer a secret, this next commission I can now share with you. I was told the recipient was very pleasantly surprised and even got emotional.  It warms my heart to hear and read such stories and knowing my painting has touched someone's life in a positive way. I really do have the best job in the world!



"Korky"
8"x10"
pastel
Commission
To view the progression of this portrait visit my website www.colettetheriault.com

Still painting more wolf fur!



On this step the fur on the wolf's back was done in many layers of carefully applied pastel. It is unfortunate that this photo does not capture the detail of the fur accurately. I will attempt to take a better photo for the next update.

 



Underpainting fur

On this step, I continue to work on the underpainting for the body fur. Many layers of pastel still need to be added to achieve the look of his luscious coat.

 

It will be a while before I can begin painting his beautiful face but first things first! 

 

What Wild Animal Painting is on my easel?

Some of you might remember this painting I started many months ago and only progressed to the storage bin.  It is a large piece for my standards, and part of the reason for the delay was that I needed to acquired a stand up easel to complete the piece. But enough excuses...here is a bit of background I added today. 

 

Christmas Craft and Gift Show

This year I will be participating in Confederation High School's Annual Christmas Craft and Gift Show, December 7th and 8th. I will be showcasing many of my prints (framed and unframed), several original paintings as well as Christmas cards.  Please stop by to have a look and have a chat.
Your company would be greatly appreciated.

Do extend this invitation to your friends, family, and acquaintances.

Hoping to see you then,

Colette
 

1918 Main St, Val Caron, Ontario

Blue Jay Bird Painting in Pastel

Painting this bird in blue will give me an excellent opportunity to produce Christmas cards. Along with the similar red cardinal in snow scene that was previously painted, both will be available as cards in the near future.

 

On this last step of the painting, I completed the belly, wing and tail feathers as well as the branch and foot. I redefined more of the pine branches to darken the background a bit more. And voila, here is my "little prince in blue"!

To view more bird, wildlife and animal paintings, visit my website here

"Dressed in Blue" Blue Jay
pastel
4" x 6"
 

Work in progress of blue jay painting

In this step I refined the shape of the Jay's beak and created a three dimensional shape using shades of gray and white on black pastel. After completing the eye and white feathers around the eye and throat, I was excited to finally add some gorgeous blue feathers!

I then defined the black  markings which now gives this bird the unmistakable look of a Blue Jay.

 

On the next step, I will begin to add the background so that I can finish the wispy look of the feathers at the back of the crest.

 

 

With the background complete, I can now redefine outline of the crest feathers.

 

 

New Painting of Bird in Blue

This is the first step on the progress of  my newest small painting of a blue jay in winter. Although blue jays are popular birds to paint and photograph, I had yet to paint this lovely subject. I am using mainly pastel pencils due to the small working space of only 4"x6", but also the square and round sticks for the less defined areas and underpainting.

Painting of Northern Cardinal (male) in pastel

I love painting birds but I find the feathers are a challenge to render with pastels on sandpaper. I am resisting the temptation to go back and tweak a few tufts of cheek feathers as I am never truly satisfied...



"Dressed in Scarlet"
Northern Red Cardinal
pastel
4" x 6"
 Available for Purchase





Pastel Painting of cardinal update

I started working the feathers of the body and wings on this little bird painting today. Much more layering is going to happen until I am satisfied with the results. Thank goodness this paper can accept up to 25 layers of pastel!

 

Cardinal painting in progress

Here is a better image of the bird painting progress. I am pretty much done working on the head, which has had many layers of pastel to achieve the proper hues of the red feathers.

Winter bird painting on the easel

With winter fast approaching, I am inspired to paint a snow scene. I've always wanted to paint a cardinal and so he is my next subject to be featured on paper. I am using pastels and Wallis sandpaper for this piece and it will measure roughly 3"x5" when done or, perhaps a bit larger.  It is not always easy to create the feather detail on that scale...the image shown is bigger than actual.

Golden Retriever Portrait; commission painting in pastel





Portrait artists oftentimes have to make due with less than desirable photographs to work from when creating a painting.  This can lead to frustration or artists' refusal to work with such images.  I often have to work with such images and while I admit I've had my share of frustrations, it forces me to use my artistic judgement rather than solely rely on a photograph. Of course, I always take the client's feedback into consideration, as they sometimes guide me in the process, and as long as they are happy with the likeness of their pet, it was worth the effort on my part.

 

Here is the latest dog portrait just off my easel, and recently approved by the client.  It gives me great pleasure to be able to create a lasting memory that the owner can treasure and remember their beloved pet.

 

 

"Dixie"
Golden Retriever
Pastel
18" x 24"





reference image 4" x 6"



More and more fur!

I am starting to get lost in all that fluffy golden fur! It's easy to loose track of the fur pattern and so I keep adjusting until I feel satisfied with the look...but I have more work to do! I have to use some of my artistic judgment for this portrait because of the quality of the reference image.

 

For size comparison, you can see the pencils on the easel at the bottom of the portrait. 

 

Update on Golden Retriever Portait

After completing the right side of the dog's cheek, I began adding more of the long neck and chest fur. I also added the dog's whiskers and redefined the fringe fur along the muzzle/mouth. I enlarged the dog's left eye slightly  so I hope I don't feel tempted to retouch it.

 

The color on this photo is a bit off, showing more reddish tones than on the original painting. I will adjust the final image as close as possible to the original but for now, I must get back to painting!

 

Painting of Golden Retriever progress

I like how this portrait is finally coming along but I will have to leave it for a bit so I can come back and look at if with fresh eyes. I will probably go over the eyes again and rework the brow area. But before I do that, I will finish the fur on the side of his face and then work more of the longer neck and body fur.

 

Painting of Springer Spaniel Portrait (Therapy Dog)

The following is a painting that I completed a few months ago, but because it was to be a surprise, I could not share it publicly until the handler was presented with her gift. The Springer Spaniel featured on the portrait is named Rex and he quickly became known as the ambassador of Therapy Dogs in the Sudbury District.  After many years of service and logging thousands of volunteer hours comforting the sick, lonely and desolate, the community was saddened to hear of Rex's passing last spring. Rex will always be remembered as the heart and soul of Magical Paws.

 

 Magical Paws, is a non-profit organization providing the service of therapy dogs at no charge to nursing homes, retirement homes, group homes, and schools in the Sudbury District.

Therapy Dog Rex
8 x 10
pastel
 

Progress on Golden Retriever Portrait

I have been busy layering more fur this afternoon, and I re-visited the eyes as mentioned in my last post. There is so much more work to be done but at least, it is beginning to look more and more like the subject!

Update on Pet Portrait of Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever Painting ...update on the eyes

I was able to sit in the studio today and work on this Golden's beautiful eyes. There is a bit more tweaking to be done one the eye shape, and so the next update might give the dog a slightly different look.

The image below is cropped to show more of the face in the painting. Click on the image for a larger view.



Golden Retriever Painting in progress

Limited Edition Prints Anyone?

Well, it has been a busy week getting a whole bunch of limited edition giclée prints ready and framed for display at a local frame shop. The store should be well stocked and ready for pre-Christmas sales.

Prints and cards are also available for purchase through my website here: http://www.colettetheriault.com/prints.php  If you are interested in a print of a particular piece of art, simply drop me an email and I will advise you of the total cost and if it is available.

Since I print on-demand, practically any of my pieces can be turned into prints because it is easier on the pocket book (I don't have to order 100's of identical prints at once for any particular artwork).

  Who said artists' job is to only paint and draw??

I took some studio time today to add the background to the Golden Retriever painting so here she is so far:

Add caption

The start of a new dog portrait revealed

 At the clients' request, I have not been able to share the progress or final portrait of two of my recently completed commissions. We would not want to ruin the surprise now, would we?  In due time, I will share with you those two paintings I have to keep secret for now.

In the meantime, I am able to share the current painting on the easel. I am facing a rather tough challenge.
 To put things in perspective, the reference image of the subject measures  6" x 3.2" and along with several other not-so-good shots, is to be used to create a large 18"x24" head/shoulder portrait.
  Unfortunately, the pet has passed away and the owner has only poor quality photos to hand me. In this case, I will have to dig into my extensive library of dog images to help me with the details of this Golden Retriever's portrait as well as rely on the client's feedback with the help of work-in-progress updates.

original photo

 

mock up image of portrait using photo above

work in progress of Golden Retriever painting

 

Pet Portrait of Shetland Sheepdog Painting

I do apologize for the delay in posting the final dog painting but summer has a way of distracting me!

This pet portrait was commissioned by a firm who specializes in servicing the funeral services industry.  I can't reveal a whole lot just yet, but I can say that I will be partnering with them in the near future to produce very unique pet portraits.

"Proud as a Princess"
9"x12"
pastel
COMMISSION

You can view other Shetland sheepdog paintings on my website here:
http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/petdescriptions/Sheltie_painting.php

I can't reveal the progress of my next piece because the client doesn't want to spoil the surprise. All I can say is that it is another dog painting in pastel!

Painting Progress of Shetland Sheepdog Portrait

On this step, I completed the ears and added more layers to saturate the background color. I also tweaked the eyes a little as well as several areas on the face.

 

I might revisit the background at a later date but next I move on to the long fur I enjoy painting the most...that of the bib and neck.

 

Update on Pastel Painting of Dog Portrait

My favorite fur type to paint is probably that of Shelties and dogs with similar coats but the layering is very time consuming!  The way the subject poses and how the fur lays on this dog's coat makes for an interesting composition and a great exercise at patience.

I hope you enjoy watching the progress of this pastel portrait as the dog seems to poke it's way through the paper. Thank you for following!

Shetland Sheepdog painting progress

 

I'm amazed at how fast I am able to work this portrait today...perhaps it is ambition or even confidence when a piece seems to come along so easily. But I attribute that in part to an excellent reference photo and a an outstanding subject!

 

Dog Portrait of Sheltie on the easel

After spending a three week vacation/field trip to Florida, it's time to get back to some serious work in the studio. Although I have been very busy with many tasks and chores at home and in the studio both prior to and after my trip, it can be overwhelming to actually sit down  and simply paint for any period of time. It will take some training to get my mind into that "creative mode" once again and leave all my distractions behind and prioritize and delegate items on that to-do list!

So I bit the bullet this afternoon and finally put on some music, sat at my easel and started working on this new dog portrait. I will divulge more details about how I came to paint his piece at a later date but for now, I can share the work in progress.

Siamese Cat Portrait: A Painting in Pastel

I had so much fun painting this beautiful cat's portrait. It is not a commission but rather, came about from one of my reference images from my photography library. The wondrous lighting, contrast and glowing icy blue eye of the Siamese is what compelled me to paint her.

Now, to find a name for this painting...something I don't usually struggle with but I can't seem to find anything appropriate that I like so far.  Update: "Bejeweled"

Siamese Cat Portrait
"Bejeweled"
pastel painting
4"x6"
SOLD

For more cat portraits, please visit my website at
http://www.colettetheriault.com/catportraits.php

Peregrine Falcon Painting "The Wanderer" SOLD!

This bird painting will be featured one last time locally at the Sudbury Art Club Spring Exhibit next weekend and then will fly off to Dunham QC to roost in his new home. The general public is invited to this free art event so please do come out if you have a chance! See details below.

"The Wanderer"
Peregrine Falcon
7.5" x 9.5"
pastel
read more info here:
http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/paint1description/peregrine_falcon_painting.php

Song Sparrow: a bird painting in pastel

I have yet to give this painting a title...other than the obvious "bird on a wire", which is too overused for my liking, I'll have to give it some good brainstorming!

Nonetheless, I share with you the final update on the bird painting. I am glad now that I accidently made the wire too large and had to increase the size of the bird. It was much easier to add the detail on the larger format.

Song Sparrow- untitled
13" x 9"
pastel
Available

Song sparrow painting almost done!

After completing the bark on the tree trunk, I can now move on to finishing the final details on the sparrow. I will probably revisit the background, more specifically, the right hand side area of the painting where the single thin tree is located.

Sparrow painting update

Before continuing on the tree trunk bark, I decided it was best to finish working the background and redrawing the bird so that it is now larger.  I like this so much better as the bird's size looks more proportionate with the barbed wire.

I may end up cropping the painting differently because I notice the larger bird is now too centred.
Several options include further cropping out the right hand side to move the bird out of centre or making the paining square format by cropping out some of both sides....we'll see!



A slight retouch is in order...

OOPS!! Seems as I was drawing in the barbed wire I made it too large in relation to the bird so now a touch up is in order. Tomorrow, I will continue to work on the bark of the trunk and will have to redraw the bird slightly larger.
It's probably better that way anyways because it will be easier to add the details on a larger bird.

Progress of bird on a wire painting

There was quite a bit of blending and layering happening in the background this afternoon. I wanted to achieve a glowing effect using warm colors so that the brown sparrow would stand out against the lighter backdrop.

 I have not added the fencepost wire at this stage and so the bird looks like it is floating but that will change in the next update.

 

I am using pastel on light sage colored suede for this piece.

 

A few bird paintings waiting in the wings...

I want to get a few bird paintings finished in the next few weeks and decided to start one using suede because I can usually complete them faster than on other surfaces. I have another started of an African crowned crane using pastel on sandpaper and I will be working on that one as well.

I have several other paintings that have been started and need to revisit the easel so I can complete them. I hope to get to all of those before summer sets in as I hardly have time to paint then when most of my time is devoted to field work and collecting reference photographs.

The new bird painting below is of a sparrow on a barbed fence wire.

Wire Haired Jack Russell Terrier Painting in Pastel

This dog portrait is pending client approval but while I wait, I just had to post the finished portrait. I have never seen a Jack Russell with erect ears and so I did not recognize the breed on the client photographs right away . The scruffy appearance of her wiry fur also added to the challenge.

Cassidy is portrayed her in her older years where her facial markings have pretty much faded to the point where they are no longer visible. I am always amazed at how different a dog's coat and markings can appear as they move up in age.

"Cassidy"
Wire Haired Jack Russell Terrier
5"x7"
pastel
Commission

Terrier dog portrait commission

I thought it might be fun (and challenging) to guess this dog's breed. She is purebred but the erect ear is considered a conformation fault by the AKC (the breed standard is for the ears to be folded forward). Nonetheless, this dog has such a sweet expression that I could not resist using this pose for her portrait.

Gray Tree Frog Painting in Pastel

Alas, I was able to finish the frog painting and I feel satisfied enough to call it done! I have to admit that everything about this piece drove me to edge and back...the green color, the fern leaves, the pattern/texture of the frog's skin. It soon became apparent as the painting progressed that it proved more challenging than I expected.

If there's one thing I learned from this painting, it is to not be afraid to challenge yourself and push your limits; you just might be surprised at the results.

"La Vie en Vert"
5"x7"
pastel
Available for Purchase
contact me