Category: Coloured Pencil Art

A customer testimonial - Red Fox Labrador called Dougal

29/5/2022

It is always lovely to receive feedback from clients. Every single one of my commissions are created with care and you do get attached to the pet. You know you're unlikely to ever meet them in the flesh, but could pick them out in a crowd, having spent so many hours staring at and creating, their beautiful faces with all their tiny markings and (im)perfections.

Framed drawing of a Red Fox Labrador called Dougal. Completed as a commission by Northumberland artist Karen M Berisford

A thank you from a happy customer is a celebratory one. The fact that someone takes the time to send an email and to tell me how well the portrait was received, always brings a great sigh of relief knowing that they appreciated the time spent on the portrait. I thought I would share it here.
Here is the framed portrait of Dougal, a Red Fox Labrador completed in coloured pencils. What a beautiful dog he is.

If you want to see more of my coloured pencil art (including Rua, Dougal's sister), click here.

If you are thinking of booking your own bespoke commission, find out more here.

A BIG THANK YOU to Karen for her fantastic piece of work to complete
the portrait of Dougal.

This was a gift for my cousin and he loved it! It's got pride of place on his wall!

Karen has managed to capture Dougal exactly with the exquisite colour and
detail and professional finish.

I couldn't recommend Karen's service enough, she has been proactive in communication and I felt part of the commission throughout the process.

Thank you again, Mike

A coloured pencil drawing of a Red Fox Labrador bespoke pet commission

Tweaking the final detail.

VIEW DOUGAL'S PROGRESS PAGE

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below, or share this post with friends and family.

Karen
www.karenmberisford.co.uk

0 Comments

Dougal the Red Fox Labrador - coloured pencil drawing

29/3/2022

0 Comments

I recently completed this commission of Dougal. Pet portraits are my most requested subject, and Dougal's portrait was ordered from a returning customer as a birthday gift to a family member.

coloured pencil drawing of a Red Fox Labrador

The reference image

The reference image used for this drawing was a great composition, but the detail and colour, was unfortunately lacking. Extra photos of Dougal were provided, which allowed me to gather additional detail. The leash was removed from the drawing, as this added nothing to his portrait.

Drawing a Red Fox Labrador using Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils

Living in Northumberland, the Labrador is a very popular dog breed here and having two Labradors myself, we often encounter Red fox Labradors and their owners, which allowed me to study their natural colour as we passed. I always try to balance out the values in each portrait, which means I will correct the colour tones, especially so when the colours in the photograph are washed out or under-exposed. I also spend time researching online, collecting photos of other Red Fox Labradors which act as a guide too.

If you are thinking about booking a commission of your own pet, get in touch. If you want to find out more about my commissions first, you can click one of the tabs below and read about the process or view my art gallery. I work in coloured pencils and acrylic paints, both offer very different outcomes, but are highly detailed.

Coloured pencils

Acrylic paints

0 Comments

Private Commission - Dougal the Red Fox Labrador

4/3/2022

0 Comments

The latest commission on the easel is this stunning Red Fox Labrador called Dougal.

For this 10" x 12" drawing of Dougal, I am using the lightfast coloured pencils, Caran d'Ache Luminance on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper.

Coloured pencil drawing of a Red fox labrador - early stages

I create my drawings using a layering process, which help to create the depth and realism that can be seen in all my work. This process starts from the lighter tones and builds up to heavy and bold applications. The realism is created at the end, when I use both light and dark tones to manipulate the layers and create the final pieces you see within the pages of my website.

Progression of a coloured pencil drawing of a Red Fox Labrador on Strathmore Bristol 500 Vellum paper

Creating a drawing like this can take many hours and to ensure I stay fully focused on each piece, I work on other drawings and paintings in between sessions. The length of time it takes to create a portrait depends entirely on the complexity of the composition, but a 4 - 6 week timescale is normal, unless a specific timeframe is requested.

Coloured pencil art of a Red fox Labrador in progress using Caran d'Ache Luminance pencils

This is the current stage of Dougal's portrait. There is still much to do on the colouration, but you can see how soft his fur now looks from the first post above, after numerous layers have been applied. You can view Dougal's progress page HERE.

I also completed a portrait of a Red Fox Labrador last year. This is Rua, who is Dougal's sister. You can view her portrait HERE.

If you are looking to commission your own portrait, visit one of the galleries below to find out more about each medium.

COLOURED PENCILS

ACRYLICS

0 Comments

Double Collared Sunbird - Coloured pencils on Pastelbord

1/10/2019

0 Comments

It's been rather quiet on the art front in the studio over the last couple of weeks. I had been on holiday and was unable to showcase my creativity. However, before my departure, I decided to do something new and exciting - I packed a portrait in my travel bag to work on during my downtime. This decision proved to be a blessing as the place we stayed in didn't have internet access for an entire week. I took this opportunity to draw a 'double collared Sunbird', a stunning bird captured by the talented South African photographer Scotch Macaskill. To add some extra vibrancy to my artwork, I experimented with my new Derwent Lightfast pencils, and the subject was the perfect choice to showcase some lively colours.

Instead of my usual pencil routine, I experimented with some new products I hadn't considered using before. As a purist, I typically only use paper, but this time I opted for a 3mm canvas called Pastelbord by Ampersand, which I use for my acrylic paintings due to its coarse surface. I also tried out the 'Zest-it pencil blend', my latest purchase. I was initially unsure if these products would work well together, but to my surprise, they did. The creative process was so enjoyable that I decided to take my project with me to Torquay.

Drawing a double-collared Sunbird on Ampersand Pastelbord using Derwent Lightfast pencils

On my third night away, I set up a small studio in the small bedroom and plugged in my desk lamp and a 4-way adapter. Unfortunately, the adapter fell and caused a power outage in the caravan. My dad, who was watching football with my brother, shouted, "What's goo'in off!" in confusion. We had to call a security guard who, not knowing much about electricity, had to phone a professional for advice. He eventually had to use a butter knife to remove the screws on the electric box outside the caravan and turn the power back on. Despite the mishap, I managed to get some artwork done in the limited space.

Now that I'm back in my studio, I'm working on the autumn newsletter for my website and have limited time. I plan to store the portrait in a spare frame until I finish it.

A coloured pencil drawing of a double-collared Sunbird in a black ornate frame

The pencil portrait completed and framed

0 Comments

Christmas Commissions 2018

26/12/2018

0 Comments

Last year I had four portraits that were booked for Christmas, as well as three that weren't, but that needed to be delivered before Christmas to avoid the postal build up, so last year was pretty hectic. All, bar one (the Chow Chow dog), were small portraits, but I also had three larger portraits booked too, which allowed a much steadier pace. One was delayed until the New Year to avoid any damage from the international post, going to the USA, and so here are the two commissions that I hope were received well by their recipients on christmas day.

Jetson - The 9 month old Newfoundland Dog
in Coloured pencils

Images of Jetson was Emailed to me by the Commissionee, having been taken by the husband of the recipient. Black dogs are very difficult to photograph as it requires the correct amount of lighting to capture good photos that differentiate between highlights & shadow, and so I worked from a few photos to create a portrait of balanced tones. The importance of working with high quality Coloured pencils allowed me to apply the highlights over the darker base tones and achieve the correct perspectives which can easily get lost in a portrait like this. Click the image to see Jetsons progress page.

George Darling
1940's Black Watch soldier
in Coloured pencils

I was contacted in November with a challenging request. A gent sent me an old sepia photograph depicting his girlfriends Grandad when he was in the Black Watch regiment back in the 1940's and asked if I could create a coloured portrait of it within a suitable background to give as a Christmas gift to his girlfriend after recently losing him. Having been provided with as much information as possible regarding the correct colours of the uniform and an extensive search online, I was quite excited to get started.

Find out about commissioning your own bespoke portrait

I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas day and received some thoughtful gifts too.

Wishing you the very best for the New Year 2019!

0 Comments

Busy few months with Commissions

22/1/2018

0 Comments

Last year (2017), I started receiving Christmas orders as early as September, which kept me busy throughout the season. From mid-October onwards, I worked 10-12 hours a day, creating a schedule list for each day to ensure that all the portraits were completed on time. Some orders were from overseas, and I had to make sure that any frames ordered were received well in advance as framers tend to be very busy during the festive season. My goal was to finish all the orders a week before I travelled to my hometown of Chesterfield, but I worked late into the night before my journey.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and the person who commissioned it met me at the train station in Chesterfield to collect the portrait of Star the Chow Chow. The painting had travelled with me for six hours on a bus, coach, and train inside my suitcase. The lady who commissioned the painting gave me a lovely bunch of flowers. I was delighted to see the recipients' positive comments on Christmas day after receiving their beloved pets' portrait. Click on any of the images to visit the progress pages.

I've completed all the Christmas commissions and took a well-deserved break to recharge. Now, I'm back in the studio, creating new articles and planning exciting art workshops for 2018 on my Step by Step Art website. There are numerous tasks to accomplish behind the scenes. If you're interested in booking a personalized commission or are an artist searching for helpful articles, mini-tutorials, and a chance to attend a 1-day art workshop with me, click on the links below to visit my website.

Here's hoping 2018 is a wonderful year for you!

Karen

Find Out About our Commissions

Visit the Step by Step Art Website

0 Comments

Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

7/3/2017

0 Comments

I was approached by a returning customer from the USA to create a Coloured pencil portrait of a Barn Owl and offered to create a few mock ups of compositions before I began as I always do. As a lover of photography I have a large photo reference library of various animals and birds including Barn Owls and so put together 5 different compositions one of which was the 2 Owls on the wall which became the basis of the portrait. The second stage was creating a few mock ups of the Owls within different backgrounds and finally, with the Owls and background in place the last collection of mock ups made were with various walls for the Owls to stand on which were in focus and added interest to the final composition. Many of my Wildlife portraits are created this way.

Early progress of a Coloured pencil portrait of Barn Owls on a wall

The first stages

Progress of a Coloured pencil Barn Owl on tan Ursus paper

Mr Owl so far

I chose a tan toned paper to work on which matches the warm tones of the Barn owls as well as giving strength in colour to the lighter tones such as the whites. The tonal background will be created using Derwent's Coloursoft range pencils which are soft and blend well for great effect and the Owls & the wall will be created using the caran Dache Luminance pencils which are ideal for very fine detail and strength of colour. A base layer of tones and loose detail is first applied to the whole of the portrait before I then apply the stronger & finer details to completion.

Coloured pencil Barn Owl head portrait in progress

Loose details of the male Owls face

Drawing moss on a wall within a Barn Owl portrait created with Coloured pencils

The moss - a good 3 hours in....

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

This portrait is based on actual Barn Owl territory at Cresswell in Northumberland (UK). It is a 40 minute cycle ride from where I live along the beautiful coastal route of Lynemouth through to Cresswell pond, this place regularly has Photographers set up waiting for this little guy to make an appearance. Sitting in the undergrowth of the wide open field which connects to a lagoon where you can regularly see Avocets, Oystercatchers & even Otters on the rare occasion, is an area overlooking the coast and is ideal for field mice and voles. I wait patiently as I see him in the distance, flying silently and hovering on numerous occasions, not at all phased by the long line of photographers with their huge cameras on tripods waiting to get some great photos themselves. There is something breathtaking about seeing such a Bird in the Wild and feeling honoured that this Owl continues it's daily journey passing close by whilst I click the rapid fire button on my camera. Here are some of those photos.

0 Comments

A customer testimonial - Red Fox Labrador called Dougal

Dougal the Red Fox Labrador - coloured pencil drawing

Private Commission - Dougal the Red Fox Labrador

Double Collared Sunbird - Coloured pencils on Pastelbord

Christmas Commissions 2018

Jetson - The 9 month old Newfoundland Dog
in Coloured pencils

George Darling
1940's Black Watch soldier
in Coloured pencils

Busy few months with Commissions

Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

Author

Categories

Archives

SERVICES

COMMISSIONS

HELP & INFORMATION

A customer testimonial - Red Fox Labrador called Dougal

Dougal the Red Fox Labrador - coloured pencil drawing

Private Commission - Dougal the Red Fox Labrador

Double Collared Sunbird - Coloured pencils on Pastelbord

Christmas Commissions 2018

Jetson - The 9 month old Newfoundland Dogin Coloured pencils

George Darling​1940's Black Watch soldierin Coloured pencils

Busy few months with Commissions

Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

Author

Categories

Archives

​SERVICES

​COMMISSIONS

​HELP & INFORMATION

Jetson - The 9 month old Newfoundland Dog
in Coloured pencils

George Darling
1940's Black Watch soldier
in Coloured pencils

SERVICES

COMMISSIONS

HELP & INFORMATION