Latest News for the UK Artist Karen M Berisford - Pets, Portraits & Wildlife 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

Christmas Commissions 2016 - Pets & Portraits

29/12/2016

This christmas, I was extremely busy with commissions. I had five to complete in the space of 6 weeks, which was a real challenge. Normally, one portrait can take 3 - 5 weeks each, so it was a very busy time. All were completed and delivered out to customers in ample time, and I have included all the commission details and final portraits below, alongside customer testimonials.

Springer Spaniel sat on grass in front of border plants

Buddy the Springer Spaniel - 11" x 14"

Buddy's portrait was created using 5 different photographs. The body taken from this photo, the head from another, the tail from a third, the background from a fourth and some of the background flowers from a fifth image, all cut and pasted together to create the mock up of the reference image. Doing this can throw a whole lot of problems into the mix as different images can have different lighting, luckily I was able to ensure the correct balance as I was provided with lots of great quality photos that i could pull detail from. As you would suspect the grass took the longest as each blade of grass was applied individually and this was done in 3 layers so individually repeated 3 times!

First stages of a Springer Spaniel sat on grass Acrylic painting

The base layer - Very messy but important

Acrylic painting of a Springer Spaniel sat on grass with beautiful border flowers in the background

The final completed painting

"I'm sitting looking at Buddy in pride of place on the wall, photo attached! It is absolutely lovely and it had the desired effect on Steve when he unwrapped - there were tears!! Everyone that has seen it has said how amazing it is with the amount of fine detail and so Buddy. If I manage to get a decent photo of Buddy next to it I will send it on! Thank you once again, it is lovely to have a painting of Buddy forever."
Esther

view Buddy's page

Springer Spaniel jumping through long grass on a sunny day photograph

Dudley the Springer Spaniel - 9" x 12" in Acrylics

This was a lovely composition but a tiny photo meaning that it pixelated when zooming in and the detail was lost in the face, especially around the eyes. The Commissionee loved the composition so much that I decided to see what I could do and asked if she could send some close up photos of Dudley taken in a less sunny environment and using all the photos together, I elaborated on the background/foreground somewhat and toned down the colouration on his head whilst still keeping the favoured stance. This was a challenge but I really loved the composition too and was happy with the final painting.

Base layers of a springer spaniel acrylic painting

Loose undertones preparing for the layering

Acrylic painting on Ampersand Gessobord of a Springer spaniel running through long grass in the sun

The final painting

"Just wanted to let you know that mum loves her portrait and we all cried our eyes out when we first saw it. What you've done is so special and we couldn't have asked for a better painting to remember him by. It captures his brilliant personality so well. I'll definitely be recommending you to my spaniel loving friends!
Picture of framed painting to follow soon!
Andrea xx."

view dudley's page

Photo of a Japanese Akita looking at the camera

The customer only had a few photos of Kita, having recently lost her, and I was limited to flash photos. The reference image was a good pose, but as flash distorts colour and detail, I had to research the breed and add a little artistic licence. The image was also slightly out of focus, but I found that I was able to apply a lot of detail by overworking the fur, and the final portrait was far more detailed than I thought possible. The final painting was framed in a black moulding called ASHGATE, which accentuated the light tones in Kita's fur.

Base layers of an acrylic painting of a Japanese Akita dog

Japanese Akita acrylic painting highly detailed with green background

"Hi Karen, I just wanted you to know that I absolutely love my painting of Kita. Thank you so much, you have done the most amazing portrait of him. He was my best friend and my little boy and the painting has been hung in the living room so we can all admire him everyday! Thank you again xx"

visit kita's page

Couple and their French Bulldog at Pennan in Aberdeenshire

Diarmid E-mailed me a great photo of himself, his girlfriend Max and their little French Bulldog Kyla stood in front of the famous red phone box from the film 'Local Hero' when they visited Pennan in Aberdeenshire. As the phone box only covered half the background and the other half would add nothing to the composition it was decided to leave the background out completely and simply write 'Pennan' in the corner of the portrait. As mobile phone images tend to 'flatten' detail, the fineness of the Coloured pencils brought back the sharpness of detail and I really enjoyed creating this portrait - I always love a challenge!

Progress of a coloured pencil portrait of a couple and their french Bulldog

Working on the undertones and building up the tonal layers

Highly detailed Coloured pencil portrait of a man and his girlfriend with their French Bulldog

The final portrait treated with an application of UV fixative

"Hi Karen , Hope you had a lovely Christmas. Wanted to drop you a note to say that Max absolutely loved the portrait! She couldn't believe how well you'd captured the detail from the photo and was thrilled to pieces! We've already recommended you to friends and family and am sure we'll use your amazing skills again in the the future. Have a great New Year!! Diarmid"

visit Diarmid's page

Bearded Collies duo female and male photograph

This portrait was the last drawing I completed for Christmas and depicts 2 Bearded Collie's called Pyppa (L) & William (R) completed in Coloured pencils. I had taken some photos of them both a year earlier but as William (R) is a rather nervous little boy, I struggled to get any close ups of him. trying to distinguish between them after a year was a challenge too! I was provided with a few great quality photos which I could also use to add in their eyes a little more too.

progress of Bearded Collie's coloured pencil portrait

Coloured pencil portrait of Bearded collies on white paper

"Thank you so much for my beautiful portrait, you've really excelled yourself this time, its amazing!"

Recently completed Commissions of a Pusscat, Jack Russell/Pug & a Fawn Boxer Dog

15/8/2016

Murphie - Large Traditional Heart Memorial portrait

Murphie sadly passed away in December 2015 at the age of 20! Her owner was looking for something special as a memorial to Murphie and came across my acrylic portraits known as Traditional Hearts. There were only a few photos of Murphie, so choosing the best one was tricky. Black & white animals can be difficult, as getting the right balance of dark and light in a photo, is a challenge.

Black and white shorthaired cat acrylic painting on a heart shaped sheet of MDF

Close up details of the yellow eyes of a black cat acrylic painting

Black and white shorthair acrylic painting being held by the Artist Karen M Berisford

I was able to recreate her portrait by providing an equal balance of colour and detail, whilst ensuring perspectives were kept in check.

Acrylic painting of Murphie the british shorthair traditional heart in situ

Finally at home

"Murphie arrived home safe and sound this afternoon and what can I say. The photos were fantastic but she is even better now I can see her in "close up". I always knew it would be hard to lose Murphie after having her in my life for 20 years but I didn't fully appreciate just how big of a hole she would leave behind. Your painting has given me little bit of my girl back and I can't seem to tear my eyes away from it at the moment. I attach a photo so that you can see that she arrived unscathed and thank you again for everything. You made the process so easy from start to finish and you took good care of my girl and have created a truly fitting memorial to her and for that I am so grateful"

Bailey - 10" x 12" Coloured pencil pet portrait

Bailey is the second portrait completed in Coloured pencils for his Mum after heartbreakingly losing both Bailey and Casey (the first portrait) in close succession of each other and was gifted both portraits by a good friend. Bailey was originally sat on a green stripey rug but I thought it would suit the portraits if they were both sat on the same wooden

" Bailey just arrived! Well, about 15 minutes of tape removal ago. We are so chuffed! Bailey was loved by all of us, but loves my husband best, he was over the moon! We are blessed by your talent!
I just love him! Thank you so much! xxxx"

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT COLOURED PENCIL COMMISSIONS

Obe - 11" x 14" Boxer Dog Acrylic painting

I was asked to create an acrylic painting of a Boxer dog called Obie, as a surprise gift from friends online to a lady in the USA. The reference photo was a beautiful pose and of great quality, so I was able to gather lots of detail to be able to create this special memorial painting of him.

Acrylic painting of a Boxer dog called Obie

Detail in an acrylic painting of a Boxer dog portrait

My acrylic paintings are created using a mixture of vibrant colour and sometimes I will include a medium or two, which provides texture. The background texture was created with moulding paste and applied with a palette knife. Nearly 40 Facebook friends clubbed together to book this surprise portrait, and it was lovely to hear how happy the recipient was upon receiving such a thoughtful gift from great friends!

Texture in an acrylic painting of a Fawn Boxer dog called Obie

Boxer dog acrylic painting in a teak coloured frame

"Hi Karen, Your painting brought tears to my eyes and a huge smile to my lips. Thank you! I love it. He's home and on my wall."

ACRYLIC Paintings

Bailey the Pug/Jack Russell cross - pet portrait commission progress

18/7/2016

Drawing in the eyes on a jack russell pug coloured pencil portrait

Drawing the fine hairs on a coloured pencil pet portrait

Progress so far of a coloured pencil jack russell pug pencil portrait with caran dache luminance pencils

This is Bailey a Jack Russell/Pug cross, completed in coloured pencils for a returning customer. The first portrait I completed for them, was of their little Jack Russell, Casey, who they had recently lost, sadly, Bailey followed his friend a few months later.

This portrait of Bailey was adapted to also include the floorboards that Casey was pictured laying on, in his portrait, to ensure continuity and balance. Bailey was originally sat on a green striped rug, but adaptations are easy to make if requested by the customer.

View Casey's portrait

Thinking of booking your own commission?

You can take a look at my COLOURED PENCIL ART GALLERY to see more pet portraits created in coloured pencils and if you wish to find out more about booking your own commission with me, you can find out more HERE. You can also fill in the BOOKING form to request a no-obligation quote or place your booking. Should you need help at any time, feel free to get in touch: karenmberisfordart@gmail.com or call me on: 07854 677416

On The Easel - Airedale/Paterdale Terrier cross in Coloured pencils

26/4/2016

Progress of a coloured pencil drawing of an Airedale/Paterdale Terrier cross dog called Dave

Airedale/paterdale terrier being completed in coloured pencils by UK artist

This is the latest pencil portrait I have been working on recently. This is an Airedale/Paterdale Terrier cross dog called Dave, being completed in coloured pencils. I was lucky enough to meet Dave and take some photographs of him, and got some great images, with lots of natural colour and detail, which is highly recommended.

I always begin every pencil portrait by laying down the base tones. Once all these layers have been applied, I then begin by adding in the fine detail to achieve the realism in all my portraits.

Coloured pencil portraits are created on acid free, archival paper using lightfast quality pencils and if framed correctly, a pencil portrait can last a lifetime, if protected & cared for correctly. You can find more details about my portraits, on my COMMISSIONS page or fill in the form to request a no-obligation quote.

USA's Coloured Pencil Magazine - June's featured Artist

29/5/2015

I was approached by the editor of America's Colored pencil Magazine to be their featured Artist in the June issue (2015), this is a wonderful magazine for Coloured pencil enthusiasts and I was honoured!
Most of my Artwork included in the magazine was created especially for this purpose and as such, some pieces of Art have never been seen before. The cover image was actually the completed recce piece of a Coloured pencil Workshop that I ran last year in Chesterfield and completed only for use in the Magazine. If you would like to purchase a copy you can do so in 2 ways - via a Printed copy (1 - 2 weeks delivery) or download the digital copy right away - prices are as follows:

Printed copy $5.99 £3.87* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) £2.96*
Digital copy $2.99 £1.93*

*prices may vary due to exchange rate

New Artworks coming soon....

25/5/2015

Inside the studio of Coloured pencil Artist Karen M Berisford

I was recently approached by a pencil Magazine to write an Article on myself and my Coloured pencil Art for a forthcoming issue (more details will follow on the magazine). It is always a compliment knowing that someone likes my Art and wishes to find out more, especially when it is being published in a Magazine that goes out to a world wide audience too. I have spent the last few years creating bespoke Commissions and so decided to challenge myself by creating all new pieces of Art for the magazine, some that were specifically created to represent the 'story' that will be included alongside these pieces of Art - a story that I very rarely share publicly.

As I only had 3 weeks to complete the drawings, I pulled a few unfinished works out the archives to complete and I also began a few brand new pieces too - these works all represent my true artistic interests from Birds which is where I first began, to Big Cats which allow me to really push my boundaries with details, a Human portrait which I just love creating and of course the Pet portraits which I have always loved to do as these animals have all brought so much joy

Karen M Berisford in her Newbiggin Art Studio working on a Springer Spaniel

and happiness to their owners and deserve their memorial portraits, reminding us every day of those happy times spent together and the special bond we have.

There were a few pieces I was unable to complete for the deadline (Springer Spaniel above) as I did not want to rush them being so detailed however, all these pieces will be added to my website with their dedicated page as to how they were completed and for those available for sale, a chance to purchase the original or buy a print or 2.

Details will be added on my News page once the Magazine is out (June Issue) with a link to the website where you can purchase a Print copy or a digital copy to download. This magazine is a must for any Coloured pencil lover or for anyone simply wishing to read 'my story' as it's the one and only time I'll share it publicly.

Costs are as follows:
Printed Copy $5.99 £3.87* €5.46* Delivery (1 - 2 weeks) USA $4.06 UK £2.96*
Digital Copy $2.99 £1.93* €2.72*

*Due to exchange rate, these prices may vary

Step by Step Art & 1 Day Art Workshops by Karen M Berisford

6/3/2015

Art Tutoring Website Update

For anyone who does not know, I also have an official website dedicated to my tutoring & art workshops which is known as 'Step by Step Art'. It has recently had a complete overhaul and as well as offering art workshops in the UK, it has now expanded to provide advice, information and in-depth articles to artists worldwide. Read on to find out more.

Coloursoft pencils for step by step art website header

I began my own art group in 2011 when I lived in Chesterfield and my now defunct domain name for this website, www.chesterfieldartsgroup.co.uk, was created purely as an advertising tool for my art group. Over the last few years, my tutoring side of the business has adapted, and the website also needed to keep up with these changes. The domain name and website was renamed www.stepbystepart.co.uk, in keeping with the way that I tutor my art workshops. I redeveloped my website to provide help and advice to artists from all walks of life whether an amateur or professional.

Chesterfield Art Workshops

There are now a couple of Chesterfield workshops planned for 2015. As always, places are limited, so if you are looking to attend one of my workshops, please get in touch as soon as possible. Click the link to view current workshops available

chesterfield art workshops 2015 1 day workshops tutored by Karen M Berisford

Visit the 1 Day Art Workshops available in Chesterfield

Sumatran Tiger created on Colourfix article page link

Article on Colourfix paper - Click the image to read

Information available for other Artists

My workshop website has now been adapted to provide a hub of information for artists all over the world. There are articles that cover a variety of products and helpful information. I have always enjoyed sharing my own knowledge on a wide range of things from how to produce a pencil portrait to product recommendations that I have personally tried & tested, so I hope to bring on board other artists who can pass on their own knowledge too, which widens the pool into art mediums and products.

So if you have an interest in art, why not visit my Step by Step Art website, there may be some tiny nugget of advice found within these pages that helps save the life of a drawing or painting! Please feel free to share this article with other artistic friends and if anyone has any interesting articles that they wish to submit for the site, please get in touch, I would love to hear from you!
Karen :)

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