Category: Springer Spaniel In Acrylics

Christmas Commissions 2016 - Pets & Portraits

29/12/2016

This year I was extremely busy with Christmas Commissions - I had 5 to complete in the space of 6 weeks, normally a portrait can take 3 - 5 weeks each so it was a very busy time. All were completed and delivered out to the Commissionees and here are the portraits alongside information on each and the 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

Find out more about the process of Buddy's painting and view more progress images

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."

Photo of a Japanese Akita looking at the camera

The Commissionee only had a few photos of Kita who they had recently lost and so I was limited to flash photos. This image was a nice pose but as flash distorts natural colour I had to guess the balance by using online photos as reference. The image was slightly blurry up close but I found that I was able to apply a lot of fine detail simply by being aware of the fur shortness and the final portrait was far more detailed than I thought possible due to the quality of the photo. The final painting was framed in a lovely black frame which helped Kita's portrait to stand out.

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"

Find out more about the process of Kita's painting and view more progress images

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"

Find out more about the process of Diarmid's portrait and view more progress images

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!"

Find out more about the process of William & Pyppa's portrait and view more progress images

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Springer Spaniel 'WILLOW' Latest Acrylic Commission

3/9/2016

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I recently completed this stunning portrait of Willow the Springer Spaniel and her ball as a surprise Commission from a husband to his wife for their special 1 year wedding anniversary. The reference photograph was a brilliant composition to begin with and so I knew the painting would be great fun to do.

The final painting

Myself with the 9" x 12" 22mm portrait

My Acrylic paintings are created to offer vibrancy and wherever possible, texture and as the ball was at the forefront of the painting I mixed a moulding paste in with the paints to give the fluffy texture of a tennis ball. I also added texture into Willow's fur using the moulding paste too to add interest when viewing the painting at different angles.

Fine details up close

22mm Board with painted corners

Wall protectors applied for all unframed portraits

This portrait was created on a 22mm Gessobord so that it could be hung without a frame and the edges were also painted too. The painting was sealed with a few layers of Satin Varnish and 2 wall protector feet were added to the bottom corners on the back of the painting for added protection. The great thing about these 22mm board portraits are that you can choose at a later date to have a frame added if you prefer or keep them unframed for that contemporary feel. I really enjoyed creating this portrait and was pleased to hear Willow's Mum was pretty happy with her surprise when she received it too!

Karen, I was the lucky one to receive this beautiful painting. I can't tell you what a lovely gift it is, thank you so much for capturing Willow's character so well. I absolutely love it, it's beautiful and one to be treasured for many years to come.
Victoria D.M

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE ACRYLIC PAINTINGS

LOOKING TO COMMISSION YOUR OWN PORTRAIT?

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A busy week in the Newbiggin Art Studio

10/5/2016

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It has been rather quiet on both my Social media & News blog with Art progress posts however I have been quietly busy with both pencils and paints recently and thought I would finally share updates so far.

Acrylic Portraits

Acrylic paintings of a White Boxer pup, a daughter and Mother portrait and a Springer Spaniel in water painting on Gessobord

I have been working on a double portrait of my friend and her little girl (not so little now though) for both their up and coming birthdays in May & June. The skin tones have been layered with still a little more to do to add the realism and the hair has had a heavy layer of brown undertones on to allow me to apply the finer hairs and lighter shades over the top. The stripey top is still in the loose stages but I am hoping to get this painting finished by the weekend. Both the Springer Spaniel painting & the Boxer dog are nearing completion but as these are not commissions, these will be left alone for a few weeks.

Coloured Pencil portraits

Coloured pencil portrait of a Jack Russell/pug cross

Bailey - Jack Russell/Pug cross

Creating a Coloured pencil portrait of a airedale/paterdale dog

Dave - Airedale/Paterdale cross

I currently have a couple of Coloured pencil Commissions on the Easel. An Airedale/Paterdale cross called Dave and a Jack Russell/Pug cross called Bailey. They are both still in the rough underlayers stage and the fine detail will be applied once the working area has been covered with the pencil base layers. I am applying a light application of tonal background to Dave's portrait before I can begin to apply heavy applications and layers over the top which will define him in both colour and detail.
If you wish to view more of my pencil works, you can find more in the COLOURED PENCIL GALLERY

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Beautifully detailed Acrylic paintings of a Springer Spaniel & A White Boxer puppy

12/4/2016

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Springer Spaniel swimming in water being completed in Acrylic paints on board

Springer Spaniel - Size: 11" x 14"

In the process of an Acrylic portrait, a painting can change drastically during this process. As with any of my Artworks, base layers are first applied and then followed up with a 'blocking in' process that can appear very messy, but tonal values must be placed to ensure I do not lose focus on all these areas that make up the subject. The 3rd process is 'defining' which basically means I am tightening up these areas which is then followed by 'refining' which is applying the fine detail that makes the painting appear more lifelike.

The final stage is the 'tweaking' which is simply tidying up those untidy areas and working on small areas that may need more work after the painting has been put to one side for a few days (weeks or even months in some cases) This is the basis of all my paintings and both the SPRINGER SPANIEL painting and the WHITE BOXER PUP has followed this same process.

White Boxer pup created in Acrylics on an 8

White Boxer Pup - Size: 8" x 8"

I am currently building up a brand new portfolio for my ACRYLIC paintings as my previous paintings were all created on a weave canvas and my new support bords are smooth allowing for very fine detail, If you are looking to book your own bespoke Commission with me, you can get in touch at: karenmberisfordart@gmail.com or fill in my BOOKING/QUOTE FORM

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New Acrylic portraits in Progress

15/2/2016

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For the last few weeks, I have been working on a few of my new style Acrylic paintings and thought I would share with you progress so far on them. An Acrylic painting begins with rough base layers so that I am able to cover the canvas before then going on to applying the fine details. No painting will be the same as the next as I use a palette knife to apply textures and tones and each painting may change dramatically throughout the process. Here are some of the subjects I am currently working on and if you wish to view progress, please click on the images below.

Springer Spaniel

Black Labrador

Yellow Labrador

White Boxer pup

Jaguar

There are more portraits planned for 2016 and I will update this News page as regularly as possible. If you would like to book your own Acrylics Commission with me, you can find out more on my ACRYLICS ART GALLERY. I have also recently introduced a FRAMING service alongside my Acrylic portraits offering you the full package so you can be sure that your painting has been created using the best quality, lightfast products and framed safely & securely so your portrait lasts a lifetime (and beyond!)
If you need help choosing a size you can view visual images on my SIZING page.
If you wish to ask for a no-obligation quote or book your portrait, visit my BOOKING FORM page, fill in the form and get a reply within hours.
Any Questions, please ask!
Karen :)

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Full framing service now available with my Acrylic portraits

1/2/2016

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2016 sees the introduction of a range of frames that can be booked with all my 3mm Acrylic portraits with prices starting from just £35.00 extra. Every frame has been hand picked by myself to offer a good range of colours & styles suitable for every painting. There are also a few FSC/PEFC frames to choose from ensuring the wood of these frames have come from sustainable sources. Click on either image below to go to my FRAMING page.

Having recently returned from a long break in my old hometown of Chesterfield, Derbyshire (note all the frame names!), I took a visit to my framers to pick out the frame for my current painting and thought I would share a few images. This is our Springer Spaniel called Casper, who simply loves swimming - as I now live on the coast of Northumberland, I wanted a 'washed' effect frame and so went for the 'Highfield' option. The cream edging does not overpower the painting and the Graphite coloured edge helps to frame the subject perfectly. Now I just have to complete the painting!