Cat Portrait Commission - Pen and Ink

Ahhhh...how I love pen and ink! It has been some time since I have done a pet portrait, but I recently had a commission for a beautiful, Siamese cat. 

I worked from photos like I normally do, but the cat itself was difficult to photograph because of the dark markings on the face and there was some glare on the photos. It was a bit challenging to render, but even so, I think it turned out very well.

The final drawing was approximately 10" wide by 8" high and was done with my Rapidograph 3x0 (.25) pen on smooth Bristol paper. 

The fine pen was terrific for the face, but I started to question my sanity when I began to fill in the fur on the back half of the cat, most of which was dark brown to black. It went faster than I anticipated, though, and I think the fine pen lines worked really well to captured the subtle fur patterns, rather than just filling it in as a solid black.

This is an early photo of the pencil work as I blocked in the fur markings, etc. I always make sure my pencil areas are marked in before beginning any ink. If it doesn't look right in pencil, it won't look right in ink.

I did NOT fill in the fur on the back entirely with pencil (except for the tail), but rather just marked where there were changes in the direction of the fur as a sort of map to doing the pen work.

 

The final, finished drawing.

Once I finished with the pen work, I let it dry thoroughly overnight and then took my kneaded eraser to the whole thing to remove any stray pencil marks. I think the final turned out well and hope that the owner enjoys both the cat and the drawing for many years.

Portrait of two dogs in graphite

This is a commission that I recently completed of two dogs. The final drawing is about 11 X 14. I did this on hot press watercolor paper and used a mechanical pencil. I found that I worked slowly in layers of graphite, first with a rough sketch and then making sure I got the eyes and features correct before filling in the detail of the fur. I blended as I went using the pencil, rather than a blending stomp or other tool. I think that the final version looks 'rougher' to me than other graphite pet portraits I have seen, but in the end, I really like the effect and think that both dogs turned out very well.

Two Cats in colored pencil - finished at last!

I have finally finished the portrait of the two cats. Whew! It was a long process, but I am very pleased with the result. The final image is about 8.5" high X 15" wide, so I had to scan each cat in separately and combine them in Photoshop to get them all in one image here.

I added some shading in blue underneath each cat to give them some grounding within the drawing. I chose blue because it contrasts nicely with the orange color of the cats, and in one of the photos I worked from, the cat was sitting on a blue blanket.

Comments are welcome!

Second cat - colored pencil progress

The second cat is coming along. I've done additional layering, further defining the dark stripes, which help to give shape to the body. I've layered the orange on top of that so my next step will be to continue to fill in shade/form with some of the more muted colors to tone down the orange. Getting closer to the finish!

Cats - colored pencil - second cat

I am continuing my work on the cats portrait. I've tweaked the first cat enough that I think it is mostly finished. I've switched my focus to the second cat at the moment. Starting to fill in the markings and initial layers of color.

Cats - colored pencil - first cat nearly done

I did a good bit of layering last night and was able to get the first cat's fur color toned down and deepened. I also added a darker gray around the white areas to bring those out and add some shading. I still have some tweaking to do, but I really like where this is so far.

For the second cat, I started with the beginning layer of color, so I'm looking forward to getting that to a more finished point. In the end, I will need to add some color underneath both cats so they don't look like they are floating on air. :)

Cats - progress!

Slowly, but surely, I am making progress on the cat portrait. I've done a lot of work on the first cat and it is coming together well, I think. I will have to tone down the orange a bit, but that can be accomplished with additional layering of a medium ochre. Then, I'll get to do it all over again with cat #2! :)

Cats - colored pencil continued

The colored pencil is progressing. I'm starting to fill in the fur and markings. I will continue to do the layering, using 4-5 different colors to reflect the shading in the fur. This will hopefully give some depth and form to each cat, making them look more lively on the page.

Cats - 2nd try! Colored pencil...

I haven't posted an update on my colored pencil cats portrait for awhile...I had made good progress, but then realized some of the proportions were off and I messed up the markings on the face. Big no-no if I want the owner of the cats to enjoy the artwork!

So, I decided to redraw the base drawing, fixing my proportions and markings. Lesson for all - one I have learned before, but apparently forgotten - make sure your original, base drawing is 100% correct before you begin with color or paint! If it isn't, it will never look quite right, no matter how nicely you render your colored pencil strokes or watercolor washes.

I finally came up with a base drawing that I feel is accurate (as compared to the photos, which is what I am working from...) What you see below is where I have begun to replace my base, graphite drawing with colored pencil (using light gray to mark in the outlines of various areas.) I did render the eyes first and was happy with the way that turned out, so I proceeded with the fur, beginning to add color to the first colored pencil layer.

Stay tuned for further updates! P.S. My scanner isn't large enough to capture the whole drawing in one scan, so I will just post pieces of it for now to demonstrate my progress.

Two cats - first cat, continuing colored pencil

Another step in the process for you to see. It is still coming along, but I am not sure if I kept the head markings correct as compared to the photo. I will continue this, but may end up redoing it in the end. Even if that ends up happening, this will be great practice for any future renderings.

Two cats - first cat, colored pencil progressing

I have continued to layer color and work on the fur for the first of the two cats. Still a long way to go, but it is progressing well, I think.

It's always interesting to see a drawing take shape before your eyes. And for something like this, that takes a bit of time to work on, it is really helpful to set it aside overnight, or for a couple of days, and look at it with fresh eyes. You might be surprised at your reaction. In fact, last night as I worked on this, I thought - oh no, this really isn't working...but then I looked this morning and it looked much better to me! I think it still has potential and I can see the layering coming together. Like I mentioned, it has a ways to go yet, but is starting to shape up.

Two cats - beginning colored pencil

This is the start of the colored pencil work on this piece. It's definitely a learning process for myself and I hesitate to even post this because it has such a long way to go! But I think it is really helpful for others to see how a piece like this looks from early on. It will take much more layering, with additional colors to match the fur, before it really starts to look right. So, you will get to learn as I do!

As you can see, I am starting with just getting the fur pattern blocked in, along with the beginnings of shading, making sure I put my pencil strokes in the correct direction to follow the fur. This is very important to making a pet portrait look accurate. The fur contour gives form and shape to the animal's body underneath.

Pet portrait - two cats

I'm currently working on a pet portrait of two cats. I've only come as far as a preliminary sketch of each individual cat. I eventually will combine them into one composite illustration that I hope to render in colored pencil. These cats have lovely orange and white markings and I think they would be best represented in colored pencil.

Final graphite - long-haired dog

Well, I think I've finished the final graphite rendering of this lovely dog. I like how the shading turned out. I will still experiment with pen and ink to see if I can create a nice version that way. I think it may look better in graphite, though. We shall see...

Still working on graphite - long-haired dog portrait

Another phase of the graphite drawing. This is definitely taking longer than usual, but I think some of the shaping is coming together. I will continue to work on this and then begin an ink version to see if that will translate. Hoping to use this as sort of a map to the pen work.

Continued graphite drawing - long-haired dog

I decided to proceed with graphite in order to really get a handle on the fur, shading, etc. Once this is done, then I will have a clear idea of the pen strokes to use with pen and ink to do that version. I often find with my house portraits that I really have to have a solid pencil sketch, if not a more detailed pencil rendering, before I proceed with pen and ink. It helps to cut down on errors when I am inking. Certainly, with the longer fur here I want to make sure I have the shading and form mapped out before I go near any ink!

I think the shape of the face and the fluff of the fur is coming together nicely. As you can tell, I'm working very lightly with the graphite. Once I get the shaping and form in there more clearly, then I will continue to darken where needed and it will begin to pop more.

Graphite or pen and ink? New dog portrait

I'm working on a new dog portrait. This one is of a beautiful, fluffy dog with long, white hair. I've done a rough sketch in graphite, but am unsure if the final will be in graphite or pen and ink. I am planning to do some work in both mediums to see what looks best. Because the dog is all white, I don't want to overwork it, either way. So, this will be an interesting challenge. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

Finished! Dog portrait is done.

I have finished the dog portrait! I think it turned out well. I'm glad I took the time to really look at the shading and fill out a few more areas. I think the nose, eyes and mouth are much better.

I can always 'feel' when it is done and usually have someone else look at it to make sure I have captured the subject. In looking at the photo, I can see areas of shading that may be slightly different, etc., but the essence is there. It is very important not to overwork it once you feel you have a good finished drawing.

Inking of dog - nearly done

I am nearly finished with inking the dog portrait. It is really taking shape now. Just some additional shading and shaping around the mouth and darkening around the eyes and it should be good to go.

Pen and ink work continues - dog

I am making good progress on filling in the fur. I like how the nose turned out, though I can still see a few small areas for tweaking. That will come later. What is important right now, at least in my process, is to continue filling in fur, seeing how that takes shape, and beginning to add some more depth and shadow as I proceed.