Red Fox Labrador Retriever Drawing | Coloured Pencils
RUA
Portrait size: 10" x 12"
Completed: March 2022
20th January 2021
" Hi Karen,
I love your pictures and was looking to commission two separate portraits for my father as a surprise 60th birthday present. One of his recently deceased Labrador (Seamus) and one of his new Labrador (Rua). The idea would be for him to hang these on his wall. I don't have as many photos for Seamus so would like to understand with the ones I have if a portrait is possible. Would love to get your advice and opinion of what you think would be suitable. I was thinking a traditional portrait style, without a background (I think), open to advice on size too. (the picture of the chocolate lab Ernie stood out to me) "
" Hi Karen,
I love your pictures and was looking to commission two separate portraits for my father as a surprise 60th birthday present. One of his recently deceased Labrador (Seamus) and one of his new Labrador (Rua). The idea would be for him to hang these on his wall. I don't have as many photos for Seamus so would like to understand with the ones I have if a portrait is possible. Would love to get your advice and opinion of what you think would be suitable. I was thinking a traditional portrait style, without a background (I think), open to advice on size too. (the picture of the chocolate lab Ernie stood out to me) "
This coloured pencil portrait features Rua, a female Red Fox Labrador, and is one of two portraits commissioned by Michael in 2021 as a 60th birthday gift for his father, showcasing his two cherished dogs. The second portrait portrays Seamus, a Black Labrador. His portrait can be viewed here. Mike supplied several photos of Rua, each a high-resolution digital file, offering plenty of detail upon zooming in. Selecting the most appropriate reference photo was difficult, as all the options were strong candidates. Ultimately, the final choice was distinguished by its ideal pose and composition, allowing it to compliment the pose selected for Seamus, ensuring they would align seamlessly when displayed side by side.
Whenever I take on a portrait commission, I always confirm the deadline to ensure the timeline is manageable. Knowing that Mike's dad's birthday was on the 22nd, I completed and sent them off a week early. Ideally, a local framer would need 3 to 4 weeks to frame the portraits, but given the two portraits' complexity, I was not able to complete both in 4 - 5 weeks. However, Mike was content to handle the framing post-birthday.
The images below offers a visual picture to the layering process as explained here. This layering technique involves several applications. The initial layers are applied lightly and loosely, serving as a foundation for subsequent darker and heavier applications. As I continue to layer, I add increasing detail until a realistic appearance is attained. After refining my technique for many years, my goal is to achieve lifelike detail that holds up both at close range and from afar.
Mike inquired about framing for his portraits. While I offer framing services for my acrylic and oil pastel paintings, I regretfully do not provide this for coloured pencil portraits. The necessity of glass to protect pencil drawings, coupled with its fragility during shipping and the lack of insurance coverage for glass damage by postal services, are the reasons for this limitation. Fortunately, Mike found a local framer who framed his portraits and also included names on the mount.
Work in progress
" I just wanted to say again a big thank you for the portraits. I managed to get them framed with a lovely guy based in Longbenton. I've attached the finished pictures, they look great!
Dad loved them, a very successful 60th present Thanks, Mike " Mike
Newcastle, UK |
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Here are two videos featuring Rua's portrait. The first is a brief time-lapse demonstrating the layering process of my coloured pencil portraits. Despite being just 30 seconds long, it encapsulates about an hour and a half of work. It's quite captivating to see the process at this accelerated pace—I wish I could actually work that quickly! The second video presents the current progress of Rua and Seamus's pencil portraits in real-time.
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Below are the portraits of two other coloured pencil drawings I have created for Mike. To discover more about each one, click on the images to access their dedicated web pages.
Dougal | Red Fox Labrador | Coloured Pencils
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Seamus | Black Labrador Retriever | Coloured Pencils
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