Kate Tugwell Portrait Artist

Sophie the Staffy-Rhodesian Ridgeback

2012-02-02T14:17:00.000-08:00

This is Sophie, a lively Staffy-Rhodesian Ridgeback. Her owners sent me loads of photos but this was their favourite expression. The size is 16 x 12" and the medium is pastel. I started by sketching her face onto Ingres Pastel paper. Base colours of white, yellow ochre, dark brown, black and pink were blocked in to start with taking care to get the features in the right place. Then I built up the detail from the top left to avoid smudging the drawing and when I was happy with the shaping and general colour values I went over it again with finer detailed pencil pastels, adding whiskers and darkening the eyes and areas around her nose. Her smooth coat really works well with pastels and there's a surprising amount of orange added in to lift the colour!

Two Black Labradors

2012-01-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

These two lovely black labradors are now finished. Following on from the previous post the painting entered what I like to call cheerily the 'wrecking phase'. Having established a half decent under-painting the next stage is to add lots of different colour tints that add depth to the final painting. Shades of browns, reds, greens, yellows and white were painted on the background being careful to continue the colours across the canvas. This inevitably means painting over the dogs so the painting gets really messy. Reds and blue were added to the dogs' coats then black and white is added with precision to bring back the correct tonal values. Finally, detail gets added to the foreground and the chewed up log and the final touches of blue, black and white scumbled across the fur to create texture where the light hits it. I finished each stage in the dark this week as it was a tight deadline so the photos were taken in the dark. I'll take a decent one tomorrow in the light to add to my website gallery.

Two Black Labradors

2012-01-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

Jet and Ollie, two tinsel-clad Labradors are now on the easel (not literally - my little cat would vamoosh in an instant!). They are being painted on a 12 x 16" artboard but without the festive collars - shame. Their shapes were difficult to put into a pleasing composition, I sketched them the other way around to start with, Jet, sitting down, was on the right. But I decided to swap them back especially as the obligatory log that they like to carry with them on their walk had to be included. I lay down a basic wash of browns in the background, waited for it to dry and started blocking in the shadows and highlights on the dogs. As I've said before, black animals are the hardest to paint well and as these dogs' faces are quite small I used my finest brush to paint the shadows around the eyes - one tiny run of pigment and the dogs could look deformed. Before adding thicker layers of detail on their coats I am concentrating on the background. I want this to look quite painterly as too much detail will detract from the dogs and I want to try and create a subtle dynamic triangular composition to draw the dogs together using light. It's starting to work but I think I'll need to add more colours and shades of green and brown to ground it (unintentional pun - sorry!).

Ben the Jack Russell

2012-01-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

This is Ben, a cute, scruffy looking Jack Russell I had on the drawing board at the same time as the last blog entry. I often have a couple of paintings on the go at the same time to keep momentum up in the inevitable 'stuck' periods you get in each portrait. This little chap provided a reason to put my brushes down for a bit and pick up the pastels as he's just so dinky! The portrait is small 6 x 9" on Ingres Pastel Paper. After lightly sketching the main features I started with the light colours first: blocking in most of the white and adding greys and cream (which you can't really see in the photo above). I smudged the colours together then with a sharp pastel flicked on lines for the texture of the fur. It's easier when working small to blend, and almost complete, the lighter areas before introducing dark pastel colours as it reduces the chance of accidentally smudging colours you don't want. Next I went straight for the eyes and nose, using black, browns and a touch of yellow ochre. I put more shadows into the fur, sharpened the pastels and dashed off some lines of white and black fluffy hair around the edges to give him his scruffy look. I tightened up on the details, checked the other photos and discovered he had more warm brown on his left ear and eye which I added, and voila! He is destined to sit proudly framed on a desk - I think he's ready!

Portrait of an albino girl

2012-01-10T14:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the last three stages of this portrait. I added more warm tones to the painting before concentrating on the detail in the fabric and on the chair. Then I went back to getting the tonal values right, adding more shadow areas and subtle glazes of yellows, reds and umbers and shading more of the hair and face. Finally, I spent a lot of time fine-tuning the details especially on the face which I purposefully kept very light to give her an almost luminescent angelic quality which is how the photograph felt to me. I hope I've captured her essence.

Portrait of an albino girl

2012-01-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012! The first of a number of New Year commissions for me begins with this beautiful serene old photograph. The client wants me to add colour for the portrait. The young girl in the photo is her grandmother, she is albino and has amazing violet eyes. I sketched the picture on canvas board and started blocking in the background with paynes gray and burnt sienna for warmth. I want to make her face the focal point and give her an almost luminescent quality so starting dark gave me immediate contrast. Next I picked out the lighter areas with a warm cream I mixed up, then marked out the darker areas, like the folds in the fabric and the shadows on the chair, in paynes grey. At this stage I painted the face in monotone to get the shadows in the right place. By the third picture I have added more colours to the background, scumbled red and burnt sienna over her top and onto her cheeks and painted more of the chair. This tonal under-painting with her face being the lightest part of the canvas, gives me a good foundation on which to build up the detail. Keep watching...

Five Pastel Dogs

2011-12-13T09:05:00.000-08:00

These five lovely dogs are now finished and ready to go to the framer. I've taken a close up of each one and a photo of them all as a whole portrait. The paper is a much warmer yellow than my camera, I ran out of proper daylight as the nights are still drawing in! But I'm pleased with how they all work together and hope this will make a great Christmas present.

Five Pastel Dogs

2011-12-09T14:44:00.001-08:00

Oscar the black labrador and Taylo are the next dogs to be started. Ripley, Koda and Loki have been improved - more orange and light pink was added to Ripley's coat and his collar finished, Loki's tongue and muzzle have been drawn in and blue, yellow and brown has been added into the two black dogs' coats to give shine. It's getting there!

Five Pastel Dogs

2011-12-08T16:11:00.001-08:00

This Christmas commission takes five very different dogs and brings them together on one portrait. The customer sent me loads of brilliant high resolution photos of all the dogs running around outside and a brief write-up on the character of each dog. It's almost impossible to get a load of dogs to pose well for just their individual photo let alone try to get them to pose altogether, so a portrait is the best plan! This portrait is just over A2 size. I'm using Fabriano Tiziano Pastel Paper as it holds the pastel really well and the paper colour is cream (though you can't tell from most of the photos). First I sketched out each dog then started applying pastel from the top left to reduce the chances of smudging as I work. This is just the first layer of pastel but I'm pleased with the outcome so far. Just got to hope I don't rest my hand in the wrong place when I start to apply more detail on the next round!

Frejya - Black Labrador

2011-12-07T03:05:00.001-08:00

I've now finished Frejya having built up her coat with fine brush strokes to create fur on her left side. In the background I added more detail to the leaves and grass especially in the foreground then when it was all dry I scumbled a thin golden/white paint over the background to knock it all into the distance and create the early morning mist. Over the dog's right side I scumbled some more to show the breath catching the sunlight. I added tiny dots of yellow and white at the edges of the fur to create a lovely backlit glow.

Frejya - Black Labrador

2011-12-02T03:47:00.001-08:00

This is Freyja - a black Labrador needed as a present for Christmas. I've gone from huge to tiny in the last two commissions, this one is 6 x 9". The original photograph is beautiful: it looks like it's been taken on a crisp autumnal morning with sunlight coming across the park and highlighting the leaves, the grass and the edge of Frejya's coat and breath. This is just the first three stages of under-painting. I've had to invest in some smaller brushes so I can get the detail correct as I've noticed most of my little brushes are looking a bit ragged - the old ones are great for grass and fur though!

Button the West Highland Terrier

2011-11-22T12:06:00.001-08:00

Showing a month of painting: as the days shorten I have less good light to play with and this is a lovely big portrait to play with. After the initial stages of colouring the canvas the layers of paint that go on after that don't appear to change much so I've only taken a few shots. Following on from the last entry, I painted on many more colours (see a bit too much green on the left eyebrow!) and deepened the shadows. I wanted to keep the fur a warm white so added yellow ochres, burnt umbers and muted cadmium reds. My deep shadows complete, I set to work painting in the fur that catches the light. I used a rigger brush to paint fine hairs and resorted to a fan brush on the chest when I wanted to cover the area with more than just one hair at a time! You can see the hairs more clearly on the close-up of the eye. Finally I refocussed on the eyes and nose, adding more detail and deepening a few of the shadows. I used additional reference material from image libraries to ensure accuracy. A quick check tomorrow in proper daylight will hopefully confirm this cheeky portrait of Button is complete!

Button - West Highland Terrier

2011-10-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

This is the middle section of the painting: shadows are added in increasing depth. In the middle one you can see how hues of yellow, orange, brown, purple, blues and even greens have been added to the fur to give it depth. The background has been given more depth and texture, then greys, reds and browns have been painted into the shadow side of the face. The final part of the painting is more subtle as fine details are painted in and more attention paid to the hue shifts within the shadows. Keep watching!!

Button - West Highland Terrier

2011-10-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

This new commission of Button, a west highland terrier, is for a highly detailed painting in acrylics on a large canvas board size 841 x 594 mm. The photo I'm working from was taken on a phone so there's not a huge amount of crisp information for me to work with but the client has sent me some other slightly bigger photos. I started by sketching Button's face onto the canvas board and created a rough tonal under-painting to mark areas of shadow. Then I added texture paste to the fur to create highlights and textural interest. A strong background colour has been painted in to enhance the highlights and now I'm starting the process of building up the subtle tones and colours in the fur. It's lovely working on a really large panel and a portrait at this size I'm hoping will be stunning.

Corporate Portrait

2011-10-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

After working on Oz's skin tone and adding more depth to the shadows on her face I spent some time blending in the colours and sharpening up the details. I mixed my own dark browns and blacks before finally adding carbon black into the darkest areas of her hair and eyes. I think I'm finally happy with her portrait - I just hope she is!!

Corporate Portrait of Oz

2011-09-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

Another addition to a London based computer training company's Wall of ~~Shame~~ Fame coming up! This is Oznur, the administrator at Mouse Training, who looks nothing like Tori Amos as you can see from the photograph. But after first sketching her onto the 16 x 20" box canvas I mapped out the tonal values with paynes grey before laying down base colours of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna for the background and burnt sienna for her hair. This tends to harmonise the painting from the start. Next I painted a light wash of flesh tint across the whole of her face and neck and introduced more burnt sienna into the shadows. Now I start introducing other colours like crimson and cadmium reds on her lips and eyes, a touch of ultramarine blue and raw umber into the shadows and a lot of burnt umber into the hair and eyes. I've still got a long way to go but the structure and base colours are at least now in place.

Civil Ceremony Portrait

2011-08-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

This portrait is pretty much finished, I just need to look at it again in proper daylight and not just under my daylight bulb! Being that it's A4 size each tiny pinhead of pigment can totally change the shape of the features so this one has been fiddly. From the previous entry I added light pink pastel all over to smooth the skin tones and create the base layer before fixing it. Then I carefully added reds, yellows, oranges, blues, greys and greens to the skin, taking care to blend well and knocking a colour back with the pale pink if too much pigment was applied. Then when I was happy with the depth and colour I sharpened my pencils and sharpened the features, adding freckles and wisps of hair and highlights on jewellery.

Civil Ceremony Portrait

2011-08-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

This latest portrait has been commissioned as a gift for a couple who are having a civil ceremony this September. It is A4 size in soft pastel and so far as you can see I have been building up the skin tones. Now the base layer is down I have fixed it so I can build on the depth of colour and concentrate on getting the tonal values right. It's fiddly working at this size with pastels as the smallest move of coloured dust can totally change the shape of the features. Teeth and eyes are particilarly hard and I'm having to sharpen my pastels frequently. I hope the next layer of colour behaves itself!

Watercolour flowers

2011-08-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

I was presented with some beautiful sunflowers from one of my students when the Haywards Heath art class came to an end. I placed them in front of my black Victorian fireplace and the following morning came downstairs to see them bathed in sunlight. They looked so beautiful it would have been a crime not to paint them so here's the result, in watercolour, which is not my favourite medium but I fancied the challenge. And for a bit of fun I sprinkled salt into the centre on the sunflowers to create texture and in some lights it now looks slightly sparkly.

Then while I had my paints out I had a go at painting some daffodils in a looser style working mostly wet-in-wet. I think this one better captures the brightness of sunlight but I like both of them for different reasons. I bought some coloured mounts from my framer, which set them off a treat, ready to sell on my website!

Portrait of 3 Labradors in Pastel

2011-05-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

I've been adding extra layers of pastel to this lovely canine family as you can see in the picture of Paddy before I blended the colours. In order to get depth in black fur I add a lot of additional colours and on Paddy I added orangey yellow, burnt sienna and cobalt blue, blended them together then put extra black, grey and white on top. On these upper layers I have sharpened my pastel pencils and used individual strokes to create texture in the fur. The eyes have additional colours added and the highlights and black outlines reinforced. Finally whiskers are drawn on with a fine point. Ted has also had the multicoloured treatment including green, blue, purple, grey, orange, yellow, cream, white and different shades of brown.

Portrait of 3 Labradors in Pastel

2011-04-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

The second layer of pastels has now been applied and I've included my workings on the puppy to illustrate the addition of reddy browns and purples onto the coat as well as bluey greys and blacks before I smudge it all together. I fix the drawing in between layers using an aerosol fixative. This enables me to add more pigment without scratching so much of it off again. I create mountains of dust when doing pastel work and I have to make sure I don't transfer any of it to different parts of the drawing. All three dogs get the same treatment, Ted has peach, orange and violet tones added to his coat. The top three pictures just illustrate how I work from left to right to further reduce chances of accidental smudging. The picture is fixed again ready for the top layers of detail.

Portrait of 3 Labradors in Pastel

2011-04-27T14:58:00.000-07:00

This is the story of a handsome golden labrador, Ted, and his beautiful wife, Pepper, who had a cheeky son called Paddy. They all lived happily together but their owner could never get them to pose with each other in one single photograph. So she came to me to place them all together in a family portrait. Ah the merits of artistic licence! So I've sketched out their faces on pearl grey Fabriano Tiziano pastel paper, size 70 x 50cm, and lay down the base colours. I have smudged the pastels into the paper, making sure there is no loose dust left over for me to accidently press elsewhere into the paper. Next I will build up the colours and details in their coats and I haven't yet decided whether to put a simple hint of a background in to draw them together ('scuse the pun!).

Lucan - Black Labrador Painting

2011-04-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Lucan, the handsome black labrador, is now complete. I have added texture within the paint to bring his fur to life but this is regrettably lost on these photographs. So, from the last blog entry I have painted the detail of the fur by building up layers of black, payne's grey and white with a synthetic brush that separates its bristles when I have the right mix of paint with water. This gives me the ability to build up layers of hair. Next I concentrated on the background sky and grass adding in more shades of greens, yellows, blues, browns and even peach tones to create more texture without detracting too much from the detail of the dog. After that I spent a few final hours comparing the finer details of the photo with the painting, making sure the shine on the fur gave him the correct face shape, tweaking the colour of his eyes and getting the right texture on his shiny black nose.

Lucan - Black Labrador Painting

2011-04-15T04:52:00.000-07:00

A black Labrador named Lucan is the subject of my next commission. This regal looking dog is sadly now deceased but a collection of old photos helped me to sketch out some alternative ideas. In the end though I decided base the painting heavily on the most recent and clearest photo shown here. I am painting acrylic onto box canvas size 16 x 20" and am placing him in a grassy meadow. As I've mentioned before on my blog, black animals are the hardest for any photographer or artist to get right and not look dull so I've started off laying a base coat of ultramarine blue and browns so that when I add black and white later it won't look quite so 2-dimensional. I'm also thinking I might need to add more texture to the paint, which will also bring it to life a bit more.

Man and Boy Commission

2011-03-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

This latest painting is a commission for a wedding present from a lady to her new husband and son. It's nearly finished, I just need to come back to it tomorrow and correct any glaring errors in skin tone. After a while you just can't see it - a fresh pair of eyes is what's needed! These are the photos I worked from and the portrait was meant to be quite loose but I felt the subjects needed detail to fully appreciate the interaction between them. As usual I've included my step-by-step build up of the painting which is 16" x 20" on box canvas (so I've painted the sides as well).

Sailing Away Together

2011-03-23T11:40:00.000-07:00

This commission came through the Ford Framing Shop in Arundel and was quite a challenge. The photograph supplied to work from was old and faded and lacked detail. The final piece is 19.75" x 10.75" so I had to paint the detail the best I could. I started by blocking out the main colours and shadows. The sea on the photograph was just two tone so I was able to paint in a more realistic choppy sea using other reference material, trail and error! I kept adding detail then knocking it back, I didn't want it to look abstract and painterly but it was so tricky to know if I was painting the subjects faces correctly. In the end I checked with the client who was happy with the likeness before adding sea spray with various sized brushes including a washing up brush. I've now got very white fingernails!

Two happy completed spaniels

2011-03-08T14:57:00.000-08:00

Max and Jake are finished after a few more hours of tweaking the colours and textures. My paint palette is disintegrating with so much mixing but I think I've finally got them and the grass is really textured so I'm pleased with it! Just need to choose a frame to set them off beautifully now.

Two happy spaniels

2011-03-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

These two little cheeky chaps are coming on but the changes are not so startling as I build up layers of paint. You could play spot the difference if you like or I could just give a quick overview of the work completed at this stage! The background was worked on again which meant covering some detail on the dogs in order to get an even blend of blue without a strange halo around their heads. I put more detail into the grass adding different shades of green, yellow ochre, burnt umber, grey, blue and white. Then I worked on the black dog's fur, adding highlights in different shades of grey, blue and brown, then knocking it back by overpainting dark browns, greys and blacks. I've realised I've got his right eye in the wrong place - I can't see it on the photo so I'm having to guess based on other pictures, but it was going dark in my studio and when I came back to the painting the next day I decided to work on the other dog. Here you can probably see more of how the coat goes through layers of colour changes: pinks, oranges, creams, yellows, browns and greys are added then knocked back with white shades. Finally I worked on their pink tongues and it was dark in my studio again!

Two happy spaniels

2011-02-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

This new commission is a gift from a lady to her son who is 40 on the 20th March this year - exactly the same as me!!! I've never met anyone whose birthday is on the same date as mine let alone the same year. Anyway, I started by sketching the dogs onto a 12 x 16" canvas board, painted in the background and picked out the eyes, nose and mouth with black paint. Then I built up texture using texture paste which obliterates most of my pencil marks so by painting in the background, which I just want to be flat, and the features, I stand a better chance of keeping everything in proportion. After leaving it to dry overnight I painted the grass then started adding the shadows and main features of each dog. After that I set to work on the black spaniel, Jake, making sure I painted in the highlights of his coat where I could make them out on the photo (black animals are the hardest to paint well). Then I gave Max, the cream and ginger spaniel, an undercoat and have left it all to dry. I'm not even half way through the painting process yet: when I next go back to it I will begin to build up the layers of colour to create a more 3-D effect, correcting the colours as I go and referring to the other photographs supplied. This is the bit that takes the most time but worth it for the end result!

Beach sunset

2011-02-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

This large painting is of Freshwater West Beach in South Wales was commissioned by a couple who got engaged there at sunset a few years ago. It was a tricky composition and I have seen photos and paintings of this beach taken from the sand dunes further round the bay but Mr and Mrs Leppard wanted the view from the south side of the bay. I started by drawing a grid onto a 24 x 48" deep edge box canvas and a corresponding grid on my reference photo so I could get the rocks in the right places.Then I painted the edges dark red to tie the canvas into the couple's room decor. I built up texture on the canvas using texture paste then painted the shadows and rocks in black. Next I added colour, building up from light to dark and referring to a variety of alternative photographs of sunsets and skies. My aim was to create a mood rather than a totally realistic sunset as originally the brief was to limit the painting to just three colours.

A Christmas Angel

2010-12-19T06:37:00.000-08:00

Here's the finished version of my little Christmas angel - she's so cute! As you can see in these last three stages I continued to work on her skin tone and hair, adding in different colours and shades for depth. Finally I worked on her eyes to make them really stand out as they are such a gorgeous blue. I'm sure she'll be brightening up her family this Christmas!

See some more examples of my child portraits.

A Christmas Angel

2010-12-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

This gorgeous little girl is another portrait needed for Santa to deliver so the first three stages are done. I am painting her on a 16 x 16" box canvas and decided not to use texture paste on this portrait as her skin is so delicate I thought I'd let the canvas create any texture needed. I painted light shadows and a wash for the skintone first and made a point of bringing out her eyes, as these will be the focus of the painting. Then I added more colour to her clothes, hair and background and continued to paint fine glazes to gradually build up her translucent skintone. I can't be bold with the shadows on her skin as it will look too heavy so I'm adding paint very lightly and blending it in as I go (mostly with my fingers!!)

See some more examples of my child portraits.

A Portrait for Christmas

2010-12-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

This portrait is now ready for Santa to deliver! For the last three stages work goes into getting the skin tone right by adding layers and layers of different coloured glazes. I added reds oranges and purples to lips, ears, neck and around the eyes; yellow and burnt sienna to the sides of the face, chin, forehead and under the eyes. I added light brush strokes of paynes grey to indicate slight stubble and used the same colour to darken his hair with highlights of titanium white to finish off.

See some more examples of my family portrait paintings

A Portrait for Christmas

2010-11-23T15:28:00.000-08:00

My latest commission is a portrait for Christmas and it's a surprise, so if you have stumbled upon my blog and you know this gentleman, shhhhh!! The size is 12 x 16" on primed artboard and after sketching the basic outline I started painting the shadows in paynes grey and burnt umber. Next I roughly painted in his shirt, jumper and hair. I used up the remainder of the blue paint as a wash for the background before building up warmer shadows on his face and used a small brush to add a base colour to his eyes. From there I have started to apply the many glazes required to build up a translucent skin tone so for now he looks quite tanned and his laughter lines and shadows are well pronounced. I'm quite pleased with the first few stages - keep watching to see it progress!

Dog painting - Acrylic on MDF board

2010-11-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Freeway and Bee Bee are now finished and looking cute. The final piece is at the top plus a couple more stages to follow on from my last post: I darkened the background before working on Freeway's ears. Then I turned my attention to Bee Bee and tried to make the hair look slightly coarser than Freeway's. I kept fiddling, adding in more detail and making sure the colours balanced based on the photos supplied, et voila!! I hope they like their portrait (and the owners too!)

See some more of my pet portraits from photos

Dog painting - Acrylic on MDF board

2010-10-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

I am working on a new commission of two very cute dogs for a birthday present. I started by priming an MDF board size 16" x 24.5" and applying a yellow ochre wash to the background. After sketching in the dog outlines I added texture paste. This creates a slightly 3D effect as I pick out hairs that stick out and create a furry texture. Next I started to paint in Freeway's eyes, nose and muzzle before painting the dark areas in his ears. Then I moved to Bee Bee to paint the eyes, nose and dark arees of fur. I need to work on the background next but haven't decided whether to grade from dark at the top to light at the bottom or vice versa. The ears need to stand out so if you have any ideas let me know!!

Finn - watercolour of a black flat coated retriever

2010-10-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

This soppy old dog met me at my car door window with a gruff woof, looked under his eyebrows at me and promptly disappeared off to present me with a teddy bear almost as big as him! He has a few grey hairs around his muzzle and a fabulous single white eyebrow whisker over his right eye. His owner wanted him painted in a similar watercolour style to other dog portraits she had in the house but I've still given him quite a lot of detail. As all photographers and painters know, black animals are the hardest to capture!

See some more of my dog portraits

Whisky the black and white cat!

2010-10-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

My latest commission is an A4 size pastel drawing of a lovely old cat called Whisky. I started drawing him on cream pastel paper but got so carried away I forgot to take photos of the preliminary stages. Here you have the final piece with the one before I fixed it with an aerosol fixative in order to add more detail and intensify the colours. I think I've taken years off him!!

See some more of my cat portraits

Kissing by the Viaduct

2010-09-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

These are the final two versions of this commission. The client wanted a stripey red and black tie added in, some books in the foreground and the boy's hair lightened and shortened. As well as adding more definition to the couple I put more detail into the bushes and viaduct and added more texture to the grass using the edge of a palette knife.

Kissing by the Viaduct

2010-09-07T15:01:00.000-07:00

Holidaying over, I have now started a fascinating commission combining a few photographs to create a painting which illustrates actual memories and the dreams of what could have been.
In the beginning I sketched the picture onto gesso primed board before adding texture and painting a wash of ochre to give background warmth. I painted the structure of the viaduct in burnt umber as I didn't want to lose my sketch while painting the sky.
Next I worked on the textures of the sky applying white with palette knives over a wash of paynes gray mixed with small amounts of blues and softening the edges with a brush. I also started painting blocks of colour that make up the viaduct and the couples' clothes and skin.
In the third photo you can see I have added greens to the meadow and worked further on the sky to make it appear less foreboding. I didn't want the couple running off for cover as a storm builds in the distance!
Today I roughly painted the trees and started to put detail on the viaduct. I'm quite pleased with these first few stages but there's a lot more detail, depth and texture yet to add. Keep watching!

Dog Pastel Portrait

2010-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Completely finished, this portrait of Major is bound for the framers before travelling to surprise its owner on his birthday. I hope he likes it! The background proved a bit tricky as I wanted to draw the stream and trees in quite a detailed way. However the more detail I added the more Major's head seemed to disappear. I decided to smudge it right back and lighten it all before increasing the detail on Major's fur and making sure I had the right shadow and colour balance. I'm looking forward to seeing it framed and ready to hang.

See some more of my dog and pet portraits

Dog Pastel Portrait

2010-08-12T05:18:00.000-07:00

Traditional new commission of a lovely alsation golden retriever cross called Major, a name that seems to suit him as he looks quite dignified and regal in all his photos. I like the way he sometimes sits with his paw curled around, looking straight at the camera. I'm going to place him on some ground by a stream he apparently likes to jump in but for now, here are the first few stages of the drawing. His fur is mostly black but he has an interesting coat with lots of rusty brown speckled throughout and even some blond bits. I have used a wide range of browns, reds and ochres with a lot of the black and white pastel and have added blue in contrast to make the black shine.

Loose style portrait

2010-08-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

The finished portrait of the little girl I have painted in a slightly looser style than usual. The painting is meant to be black and white with a hint of colour so the last couple of stages I used mostly black and white acrylic to focus on the highlights and shadows and a little colour to soften the edges. I added a crimson red to the background at the last minute just to give the portrait a bit more warmth. I enjoyed painting this style and may disappear up into my studio to create a few more. Perhaps my cat will pose for me...

Loose style portrait

2010-07-20T05:29:00.000-07:00

I have just started a portrait of this gorgeous little girl. I am using acrylic paint on box canvas and it is to be a black and white loose style portrait with a hint of colour - a bit like the old fashioned black and white photos that photo- graphers used to tint with inks for a hint of colour. As you can see, for the first few stages I have laid down quite a lot of bright colours, oranges and blues, for contrast. Applying bright colours across a canvas as a base is a way of unifying a painting and giving it depth later on.

London Training Company Portraits

2010-07-20T05:09:00.000-07:00

This is the finished portrait of Lesley. From the last post you can see I worked on her skin tone, adding more definition around the eyes (which included enhancing a few laughter lines - sorry Lesley!) and adding highlights and lowlights to her hair. If only hairdressing were that simple! I have just emailed the final picture across to the offices at Mouse Training and their response was, "Wow, that's really lovely (you've captured her twinkle!)". I hope Lesley has the same reaction.

3-D Portraiture

2010-06-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting project: painting the image of a dearly loved dog onto a garden statue that the owner said had a very clear likeness of him. The dog, called Shadow, was nearly all black with a white paw and white stripe on his chest. I had lots of excellent photos to work from taken from different angles in order to build up a 3-D reference. So first I painted on two coats of masonry primer. This had the added advantage of allowing me to fill in the pin holes where the cement had set around bubbles. Then I gave him two coats of black acrylic paint before painting in the details of his eyes, paws, muzzle, nose and white fur. I am so used to having to create shadow to create the illusion of 3-D onto a 2-D canvas that working with an object that creates the shadows for you was quite a challenge. The paint effect changes as you move the object around and the light reflections change so I kept adding, then removing and changing the details. Fun to do though and I think the paint has added to bring the unique characteristics of Shadow to the statue.

London Training Company Portraits

2010-06-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Here is another victim for Mouse Training's rogue gallery. This is Lesley and she is a lot prettier in real life than the first couple of stages of my painting but I'm hoping to make her look more her usual self with just a few more splashes of paint!

Pastel portrait of Jazy

2010-06-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Jazy the cat is now finished and sitting very pretty. I have included the photograph I was working from in the bottom picture although I had other really sweet shots sent through via email for additional reference. In the second shot the picture was almost finished but at this stage I like to spray it with fixative and go over the drawing again to deepen the colours and enhance detail. Apparently Jazy recently returned home looking rather traumatised and with a kink in her tail. Ouch! Fortunately it seems to be straightening out again. Maybe she'll take a hint from her portrait and keep her tail hidden underneath her for a while.

Pastel portrait of Jazy

2010-06-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

I have just started a pastel drawing of this gorgeously cute silver tabby kitten. She has such a demure pose seated on her favourite chair. Unfortunately I started the drawing on a colour that I realised would not work with the background I wanted to put in, so I had to start again. Doh!

Portrait of a Father

2010-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished article with another stage thrown in to illustrate some of the subtle details that get added in, like more definition around the eyes, enhanced skin texture and individual hairs painted on eyebrows and hairline. I just hope I've captured the essence and character of a well loved father.

Painted House Numbers

2010-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have just painted the number 68 on slate for a lovely couple in Yorkshire who couldn't find anything in the shops they fancied attaching to the front of their house. If any of you followers would also like a bespoke house name or number then I'm your artist! My husband commented that if they moved next to a number 89 they could take it with them (sigh!).

Portrait of a Father

2010-04-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more stages of the commission I started recently. I am applying lots of different colour washes to build up skin tone so the changes are slow and subtle but that's how the painting eventually comes to life.

Portrait of a fabulous 90 year old

2010-04-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

Here is the final portrait of my dear grandpa on his favourite local walk on Windmill Hill in Alton, Hampshire. I presented it to him at his 90th birthday party along with a 'This is Your Life' book filled with photos and anecdotes from all his family. It was a lovely day!

My Grandpa!

2010-04-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't put up any photos showing how the portrait of my gorgeous grandpa is coming along recently (mostly because he's been sitting in my studio at that difficult I'm-not-sure-what-to-tackle-next phase). But in the last couple of days I attacked the background and have gradually worked my way around the canvas again adding detail to his jacket, the wood and finally his face. He's nearly finished but I need to return with fresh eyes tomorrow to spot where I can make further improvements. I have enlarged part of the painting so you can see (hopefully) the difference between one stage to the next. It's subtle, I know, for hours of work - but he's worth it!

More Family Portrait Paintings

Portrait of a Father

2010-04-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

I love the first stages of a painting: all colour applied to the canvas transforms it and the portrait seems to take form relatively quickly. The next few stages always seem much slower as various washes are applied to build up translucent skin tones. I'll continue to post them though it's harder to tell the difference!

Visit my Portrait Painting Site

Portrait of a Father

2010-04-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

This is a new commission started today. It is going to be acrylic on canvas board, size 16x20" and has been commissioned by his daughter. So far I have sketched the outline of his face based on a photograph, put him in a favourite jumper and added texture paste which needs to dry before I can start adding colour.

The Final Frame

2010-04-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

I use an excellent framer for clients who like their portraits ready to hang on the wall. For this portrait they wanted an ornate gold frame to match other pictures in their traditional pub. So here he is: framed, packaged and ready to be picked up. I'm glad to say they were thrilled to bits - always a relief when the customer walks away happy!

Brighton Pub Licensee

2010-03-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished picture of John Woodruff. His friends originally thought they would like him to be painted in a blue checked shirt which he usually wears around the Swan pub in Falmer but I decided that big blocks of unfussy colour were needed to pull him away from the complicated background. Also the colours of his waistcoat and red tie compliment the warm colours of the bar and the atmosphere of the pub. All it needs is a chunky gold frame around it which I'm hoping will be accomplished within the next couple of weeks and he will be ready to star in his own bar!

More Paintings of People

Brighton Pub Licensee

2010-03-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

So, can you tell what's missing? Told you this is like spot the difference! These stages firstly deliver detail into the top right corner finishing the bottles, then I put more detail onto the Leffe pump and glassware on the right before adding more detail on the actual portrait of John himself. I worked on after the natural light had gone from my studio so I may come back tomorrow and shriek! I already think he's looking a bit pink but another day and I should be able to finish it.

Brighton Pub Licensee

2010-03-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

Four more stages of John Woodruff's portrait. By-the-way, this is a surprise birthday present for him, so if you are following this blog and you also know who John is, don't tell him!! Having worked around the top I started to paint the Leffe lager pump. There is a lot of detail in this portrait and I had to work up courage to start on the second layer with the gusto it needed. I decided to work on the top left corner and keep going at it until I was happy it was finished. This took hours of work over two days and may not look like I've made much of a difference but glass is one of the most difficult things to paint (that and water). Finally I was happy enough to move onto the easier (!) task of making John look more lifelike. Keep watching... next time an item will disappear from the painting. Answers on a postcard please... (one hugely naff prize to be won).

Brighton Pub Licensee

2010-03-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

This is the start of a new commission to paint John Woodruff, the licensee of the Swan in Falmer, near Brighton. I started drawing him a couple of weeks ago and despite being supplied with a lot of lovely photos of him outdoors and at various events, I had to pick the best pose of him and put him behind his bar. I think he looks like he belongs there despite being cobbled together! After applying three layers of Gesso primer to a board I started to paint blocks of blacks and browns before adding ochre and red to the top left corner and working across. Then my arm started aching so I put a splodge of green on my palette and worked on the bottom of the board for a while. I concentrated on the detail a bit more before painting a rough wash on John himself.

London Training Company Portraits

2010-03-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a day trip to London to deliver the two portraits of Mike and Raj. Here they are taking their rightful place on the Rogues' Gallery in The Mouse Training Company offices in Worship Street on the outskirts of the City. I had to rehang them all to put them onto two rows and to create space for a few more. Keep watching for future additions. I then took advantage of being 'in town': walked along the Thames, lunched in Spitalfields Market, popped into galleries, had a cuppa with the Queen etc. And it was very, very cold (the weather not the tea of course Ma'am)!

London Training Company Portraits

2010-03-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Here are the finished portraits of Mike and Raj. I'm planning to take them up to London and hang them amongst their other colleagues on Monday so I hope they like them!

London Training Company Portraits

2010-03-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Four more stages of Mike's portrait. In the first instance I added highlights to Mike's face then took a photo before it had completely dried so the flash reflected back more white. This makes him look like he's been playing that game where you have to retrieve a sweet from a pile of flour using only your mouth and some wisecrack has pushed his head further in! This must be the case because in the next stage he looks pink with embarrassment. I've added more shadows and highlights and finally more yellow, red and green to bring the portrait on. Still got a fair way to go...

Snap!

2010-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

At the end of last year I drew Arnie, a real character of a dog with big lips who seems to like sporting sunglasses to amuse his owners. Here he surveys himself. What a fine figure of a pooch!

London Training Company Portraits

2010-02-26T17:35:00.000-08:00

Four more stages of Raj. Now you really need to sharpen your powers of observation to spot the difference. I'm nearly finished and will only post the final stage when I'm happy with the tiniest details. There isn't much point posting any more until then. So for now, and in case you are staring at these four wondering what I've been playing at, let me explain: firstly I worked on balancing the skintone, then I added in more shadow and the finer details around the eyes, eyebrows and mouth. I thought I'd pretty much finished but when I came back to it the next day I decided the bags I'd given Raj under his eyes made him look too old. To rectify this I scumbled white into the shadows which made him look decidedly ill, so to rectify that I added yellow, red and brown to bring the skin back to body temperature. Phew! Nearly there.

London Training Company Portraits

2010-02-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Okay so here are three more stages of Raj. It becomes more like a 'spot the difference' competition at this point in the process as the painting of layers are more subtle. Firstly I have added white highlights, red and pink. Great looking lipstick! Next I have added various yellow hues so he looks slightly jaundiced and filled in the blacks a bit more on his hair and shirt. In the last one I have done more work on his eyes and mouth, adding more definition and creating more realistic skin tone by using blue and purple (though I bet you can't tell where!). I'm over halfway now but the changes become even more subtle. Keep watching...

For more portraits please click on the link

London Training Company Portraits

2010-02-19T09:58:00.000-08:00

Here's Raj, looking darker but still a lot of work to do. At this stage I reckon I'm just about halfway through the portrait. The first layers go on easy and everything takes shape quite nicely. Now comes the hard bit: I have to add different layered washes to the face to give the skin its translucent look. So Raj will have to look seasick, jaundiced, angry and cold before I'm finished with him! I'll have to keep adding in detail as I go along and teeth are the hardest to get right.

For previously finished portraits click the link to view my website.

London Training Company Portraits

2010-02-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

Raj is coming along well too but is not as far along the road as Mike due to my cat pestering me for attention. I think it was because I was huddled closest to the radiator in my studio and he wanted some warmth too. I can't blame him but cat hairs and paint don't mix pleasantly!

Click the link for previously finished portraits

London Training Company Portraits

2010-02-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

I have also been working on two new portraits for the rogues gallery at Mouse Training in Worship Street, London. These photos show how Mike is coming on.

To see previously finished portraits click the link to go to my website.

Pickle the Parrot

2010-02-16T10:44:00.000-08:00

I have just celebrated my grandpa's 90th birthday with him but haven't done any more to his portrait. Instead I started and completed Pickle the parrot (actually he's a cockatiel but I like alliteration). Here he is partly done and finished!

For more pet portraits click on this link to go to my website.

Portrait of the best grandpa in the world!

2010-01-30T05:07:00.000-08:00

I have just started working on a large portrait of my grandpa. He will be 90 years old this year and he's still fit and full of fun. I've decided to place him on his favourite walking route on Windmill Hill in Alton although I nearly put him by Buttermere Lake which is his favourite valley in the Lake District. He loves walks in the countryside so that's where I'm putting him! It was difficult getting a good photograph of him and I'm having to use an amalgamation of different photos to get the right pose and facial expression along with his trademark 'Bill & Ben' hat.

More of my family portraits

2010-01-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

I can't believe we're already a whole month into 2010. It's too late to wish you a 'Happy New Year' but not too late to welcome you to my blogspot. This is a new link from my newly revamped website portraitsofpeople.net that I hope will keep you up-to-date on my latest commissions on and how they are progressing.