Portraits of Animals

Recent Work:

Mollie

I was recently commissioned to draw this lovely , energetic Chocolate Labrador, Mollie.

This work was A3 in size , using mixed media.

If using coloured pencil i tend to first build layers using pastels , before using coloured pencils for finer details, as well as pens and mark making using a craft knife for fine hairs and lifting highlights.

It took me 9 hours to complete , head to my instagram page to see a time-lapse of the process .

@brdbryuk

Katie

This portrait of Katie was completed just after she passed for and was the first dog I had ever drawn !

I can safely say I have improved since this pup and wish I could go back and redo the drawing with the skills and equipment I have now, I am planning to do so on a larger scale if time allows .

I feel though there is a likeness in the drawing, the proportions of the face are slightly off , As I formerly have only drawn people I enjoy the challenge of animals, with every breed, type and size offer different proportions, colours and something to Learn.

When drawing pets if possible I like to take my own photos of the subjects, not only because I get to meet the cutest companions but it also ensures I can create an accurate representation and hopefully portray some of their character .

Dogs:

HORSES:

WHATS UP WITH YOU

“What’s up with you” again is trained by ben Pauling and ridden out my Megan , drawn from a photo reference taken by Megan.

I did this portrait as a practice as i’d been sent some pan pastels to try.

They are highly pigmented pastels that can be used as either a base layer, which is a fast way of covering surface area, but also to add fine details .

They are really easy and smooth to bend and feel more like painting, they’re a game changer when it comes to to completion time.

Pastels also offer a different texture , which is more effective for softer areas of skin and fur such as the nose and muzzle of a horse.

Aside from the challenge of learning a new medium , the angle the picture is taken at helps to learn the anatomy and proportions of horses, as it’s an angle i’ve not drawn before.

So far I’ve spent around 3 hours on this drawing.

SPECIAL BUDDY

Special buddy or “Spud” as he’s known by those around him, Is my favourite racehorse owned by Ben Pauling.

He was the first horse i saw megs win on so thought it was only right that he should be the first racehorse i drew and practiced drawing.

I started this sketch prior to discovering pan pastel and the technique i now use to lift highlights , hence why the dimension is flatter than id like , and the shading is less dynamic.

As a practice of form in the sketchbook though it is okay and useful to refer back to.

@brdbryuk

THE FIRST HORSE I DREW

This is the first horse i’d ever drawn !

Though a lot of artists tend not to show early work and work they don’t like or aren’t proud of , I think it’s important to look at.

It’s also comforting to see how far i’ve come since then, i think since this first drawing i can more accurately document these subjects.

The colours of the coat, the proportions and likeness are not accurate in this first study.

The texture is also not conveyed as accurately, however if you scroll up and look towards more recent work you can see how these points , with time and practice are improving!