Yosemite Landscape

I know that most of my work is pet portraits, but I do paint other subjects too and this is one of them.
This was painted for a monthly challenge in an artists website that I subscribe to.
Painted with soft pastels on pastelmat.
Stretched Canvas Prints, Fine Art Prints and Greeting Cards are available here.

Yosemite Landscape
Pastel on Pastelmat
Size 13"x10" Approximately
Original Painting is For Sale

If you would like to purchase the original painting, please feel free to contact me

By the River

A couple of weeks ago I went out with some friends of mine and we found this little farm shop where they sold a vast variety of mouth watering fruit and vegetables. They also had a quaint little coffee shop where we sat and ate Dorset Cream Teas; naughty but very, very nice.

Afterward we went for a walk around the farm, foot paths around the estate marked the trail that the public were  permitted to roam. There were a couple small lakes and a river flowing through.

It was a bright, warm day and the sun was bathing the landscape.

I took several photographs, but the one I used as the reference for this painting was the best. The mixture of colours in the leaves and foliage were many, ranging from the greens of summer through to the browns and golds of autumn. The reflections of the trees made an interesting scene in the river itself.
It was just asking to be painted.

This is the result.
Painted in soft, artist quality pastels on sanded pastel paper, pastelmat. The size is 12"x15"

By the River
Soft Pastels on Pastelmat
Size 12"x15"
This painting is for Sale

You can purchase Stretched Canvas Prints, Fine Art Prints and Greeting Cards of this painting from here.

Wylie - Rescued from Afghanistan

Back in May, I attended a local dog show and got chatting to people about their dogs etc.
One dog I met though is special, and his name is Wylie.

Not long ago life for him was very different than it is now, he was fighting for his life in Afghanistan after being attacked and brutalised by local Afghans on more than one occasion.

He was taken in and rescued by Nowzad, a charity set up in Afghanistan and Iraq to rescue and rehabilitate dogs and cats living on the streets. These animals are often befriended by soldiers serving out there. After some TLC and medical care, and when well enough, they are often sent to the home of that soldier.

Nowzad is continually holding events to raise money to reunite a soldier and his new friend.

Nowzad rescued Wylie, gave him the surgery he needed to help mend his poor body. His injuries were many; he had had his ears, tail and penis cut off. He was stabbed and finally thrown under a moving car in an attempt to kill him.

Needless to say, he survived and has been adopted here in the UK. Living in the Somerset countryside with other dogs, cats and horses. He is much loved, and very happy.

Here is a painting of how he looks today.

Wylie Rescued in Afghanistan
Pastel on Clairefontaine Pastelmat
Size 10"x8"
This painting is SOLD

Stretched Canvas Prints, Fine Art Prints and Greeting Cards of Wylie can be purchased here

If you are interested in learning about Nowzad and the work they do, you can visit their facebook page

A pastel pet portrait this size is £80 ($130 US). If you would like me to paint a pet portrait for you, please contact me.

A New Addition to the Family

This is SIERRA, she is a Labrador cross Great Pyrenees and she is a new addition to my clients family.
Previously, she owned three Golden Retrievers, only one of which is still living. In fact I painted digital hand painted portraits of all three of them a while back. You can see those paintings here. Bailey is the only one left and so now he has a new friend in Sierra.

Her owner is still getting used to her, as she has always had retrievers in the past and Sierra's traits are very different. As her mum says "The vet calls her a Great Pyrenees Mix. I haven't quite figured out if she's more Lab or Great Pyrenees. She swims like a labrador and protects her territory like a Great Pyrenees. The spots on her ears are supposedly the trait of the Great Pyrenees in her."

I think it is amazing that different breeds of dog behave so differently, and it must feel strange when you have always had one particular breed and then you take on another.

A friend of mine, for years bred and trained German Shepherd dogs, until she, through ill health, couldn't  continue with this. When her last German Shepherd died, she had to have another dog, but one that didn't demand so much from her physically. So she opted for a Cocker Spaniel. He is now four years old and my friend still can't get over just how different he is. She learns something new almost everyday.

Anyway, back to Sierra.
This is the photo I used as a reference with the insert showing the crop that I used to paint the portrait. I softened the edges and lightened the image so that I could see the details. I sent this to my client before I proceeded, as I wanted to be sure that she was happy with what I was going to do. She chose the greeny/blue background.

Original  Photo with insert

Sierra's portrait is painted with artist quality soft pastels and pastel pencils for the fine detail.

Sierra - A Labrador/Great Pyrenees Dog
Pastel on Clairefontaine Pastelmat
Size 10"x8"

If you would like me to paint your pet's portrait, all you need do is email me some clear sharp photos and we will go from there. I go out of my way to create a pet portrait with your ideas and wishes included.  Any questions either before or during the time I am painting are most welcome.

NB: If you are not sure if your photos are suitable, please send them to me anyway. I will let you know when I have evaluated them.

A 10"x8" portrait in pastel like this is yours for £80 ($130 US)

A Lasting Memento

This is Freckle. She was the love of her owners life, a companion and friend.
She was her alarm clock in the morning, waking her with a gentle stroke from her paw and her soft, contented purr. She was there when she got home from work; glad that mum was home, she would rub herself around her mum's legs, purring and meowing with joy.

She was not an old cat when she became ill, and her mum did everything she could to try and save her but sadly, Freckle died.

I painted this portrait of Freckle shortly after she passed away. Her mum contacted me and sent me several pictures asking if I could use them or a pet portrait.

They were lovely photos and I used two of them to come up with this painting.
Freckle's picture now hangs on the wall in her owners home and, as she has said, "it's like she is still here. I look at her painting all the time and I can remember her, how she was."

This painting will be treasured and will serve as a lasting memento to a long lost friend.

If you have lost a pet and would like me to paint a pet portrait for you, all you need do is contact me and send me some photos to work from. If you have any questions, please just ask.

Freckle a Black and White Cat
Pastel on Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper
Size 10"x8"
This painting is SOLD

Buster - A Domestic Long Haired Cat Chilling in the Flowerbed

Where is your cat's favourite place for 'chilling out'?
I had two cats each of them complete opposites. One would get in to any box, carrier bag or open drawer or even in the fruit bowl! The other didn't hide away like that but would sit just about anywhere, where she could have a conversation with me. I am really good at speaking 'cat'.
But, both would curl up in the garden under the shrubs when I was out in the garden.  One had her favourite place half way up the garden, which was quite steep. From there she could see everything going on.  It was also a good place to watch the birds. However, she didn't catch any from there because they saw her and flew away before she got to them.
My friend's cat sits on the top of the shed, he stays there for hours in all weathers, watching over his estate.

Anyway, this little kittie is enjoying the sunshine out in the garden in his favourite spot amongst the  flowers.

I thought I would paint this as it is a little different from my usual style. I hope you like it, it was fun to paint.

Buster a Domestic Longhair Cat
Pastel on Mi-Teintes Touch Paper
Size 7"x9"
Mounted on a Cream on Cream Mountboard.
Signed and Dated by me, the artist.
This painting is FOR SALE

If you would like to purchase this painting, please contact me

Amber

I love painting pet portraits and usually I paint a head only portrait. This one is a little different. I loved the whole pose of Amber so decided to paint all of her along with her surroundings.

If you would like a painting of your pet, all I need is a clear sharp photo of your pet which you can send me by email.

Terrier Crossbreed Painting
Soft Pastels on Art Spectrum Colourfix
Size 10"x8"
FOR SALE
Mounted with a Double Cream on Cream Mountboard
Signed by me the Artist.

My German Shepherd Dog Honey Pastel Painting

This is Honey my own dog. I have painted many pet portraits for others, but hadn't one of my own dog. My husband said I had to paint her and here she is.

If you would like a pastel painting of your dog like this please contact me

German Shepherd Dog
Original Pastel Painting on
Clairefontaine Pastelmat
Size 11"x14"

WOLF - Pastel Painting Work in Progress

A few weeks ago, I fancied painting another piece of wildlife art and I decided to paint this wolf. I thought you might like to see some work in progress pictures.

This is portrait is painted with soft pastels on Clairefontaine Pastelmat. The size is 11" x14"

DAY 1
I start with a line drawing which gives and outline of the shape and the shadows of the animal. Without accurate tones and shading, the painting would not look real. I thought too, it would be nice for you to see the reference photo I used for this painting.

I always start at the top and work from the left to the right and then downwards. This ensures that I do not have to rest my hand on areas that have already been painted which could dull the painting or even smudge it.

I start with an underpainting which is a block of colour on top of which I paint the detail. Here you can see the ear on the right of the picture has no detail painted yet.

Wolf Pastel Painting Day 1

DAY 2

Here you can see that I have made quite a lot of progress. They eyes are painted and a large area of fur painted. You can see quite clearly the rusty brown underpainting on the nose and between the eyes.

The eyes, they say, are the windows to the sole. They are the most important part of the portrait and a lot of time is spent painting them. Even though they look to be one colour, they are in fact painted in layers too. This is important to be able to achieve accurate shading of the eye and the correct colour of the iris.

Wolf Pastel Painting Day 2

DAY 3

A lot more completed today. I have had a few days break from work and have been able to sit in the garden, enjoying the sunshine to paint. It took some time to achieve the correct shapes of the shadows on the wolf's face, as some of the line detail had disappeared when I came to paint it. I am please with this though. 

Wolf Pastel Painting Day 3

FINISHED PAINTING
The final stage of this painting is one of the most difficult areas to paint, the fur under the chin and down on to the chest.

The fur here is very thick and layered. Necessary to keep this beautiful animal warm in long harsh winters.

Wolf Original Pastel Painting
Size 11"x14" on Clairefontaine Pastelmat
This painting is FOR SALE
Signed Fine Art Prints Available

If you are interested in commissioning a portrait like this either of your pet or a wild animal, or if you would like to purchase this painting or signed Fine Art Prints, please contact me.

Black Collie Dog - Reggie

This is Reggie a lovely, soft collie dog who is camera shy. Usually, if he sees a camera, he runs. I managed to capture a shot to paint this portrait of him by using a macro lens on my camera, which meant I could keep the camera some distance away from him.

Black Collie Dog
Pastel Painting on Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper
Size 10"x8"
This Painting is SOLD

If you would like a pet portrait of your pet, painted in pastel like this, please contact me. All I need is a clear sharp photo of your pet. If you are not sure if I can use your photo, please send it to me anyway and I will let you know.

Gypsyvanner Pastel Painting

I have wanted to paint more horses and never got round to it. Anyway, I painted this to add to my portfolio. It was my challenge of the week. I knew it was going to be difficult painting that main.

Gypsyvanner Pastel Painting
On Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper
Size 9"x11" (approx)

This original portrait is for sale. If you are interested in buying it, please contact me.
Signed Fine Art Prints are also available by request.

Long Haired Black Cat - Tinted Charcoal Drawing

This little kittie was drawn for a competition entry for the LAW (Lanta Animal Welfare), animal rescue organisation's calender. It was one out of a number of photos they gave us to choose from to paint or draw. All of the animals featured in the photos were rescued and most of them looking for homes. You can view their page here. The results are not out yet.

Long Haired Black Cat
Tinted Charcoal on Watercolour Paper
Size 10x8

Pastel Paintings

Over the past few months a lot has been going on and I have failed miserably in updating my blog. I have completed a fair few pet portrait commissions, and I have treated myself to some pastels.
I thought that, as am now confident with graphite and charcoal, I would try pastels. I bought myself some pastel pencils and a sharp uphill climb of learning began.
I fiddled and scribbled and messed around with them and the results were not too good, well not up to my standard of work anyway. So, I watched numerous tutorials and practised, A LOT.

A number of paintings were started and abandoned, ending up in the circular file. But, as the time went on my practising began to pay off. Eventually, I felt confident enough to show the world what I have been up to. Now it is time for me to catch up and put some of my pastel paintings here.
I hope you like them. Your comments would be appreciated.
I am now taking on pastel commissions and over the next few days, I will post them here. Here is the first one.
This is Sox - a beautiful mischievous kitten. My first pastel commission. Painted, using Faber Castell and Derwent Pastel Pencils.

Ginger and White Kitten
Pastel Painting on Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper
Size 8"x10"

If you would like a painting of your pet in pastels then please contact me. I have started commissions for Christmas so order early. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Lioness Resting Graphite Pencil Drawing

I have had a great week drawing thus week. I have completed a German Shepherd  Dog and Pup graphite drawing and, I have painted a digital portrait of a lovely Pug dog. I will post these here soon.

Meanwhile, here is a drawing I finished last week of a lioness resting.

Lioness Resting Graphite Pencil Drawing

Original, Fine Art Prints and Greeting Cards available here.

Neffie and PG

It's been a good week this week. I think spring has finally arrived. The sun has been shining, i've been out in the garden planting and its beginning to wake up.
I have been busy trying to keep up with everything and doing fairly well with that.
I gained some more followers on Facebook and I finished and sent off a Pet Portrait to Australia. Here it is.

Neffie and PG

A Very Busy Week

It hasn't been a bad week weather wise, a little colder than last week, but overall not bad.
I managed to get out in the garden where I did as much weeding as was necessary ( I only have a small garden), and put in some more plants. I want to add more structure to the border and so some small shrubs were prescribed.

The sun did shine a fair amount, although the wind made it rather chilly. The plants don't seem to mind though and they are growing. Spring is beginning I think, even if it is late.

Most days too, I went for walks up over the hills with my lovely, soppy German Shepherd dog, Honey.
Good exercise, as most of our walk is up hill through the fields in the beautiful countryside around our home.

She enjoyed herself immensely, especially when she spotted the rabbits having lunch in the hedgerow. She gave chase and spent some time waiting for them to emerge from their burrows, to join her for some play. Needless to say, she was disappointed.

Then half way across the field two deer were standing in full view. She couldn't believe her luck, and then again disappointment, when they legged it at top speed. Much too fast for her!

She didn't give up hope though, she kept looking behind as we walked on, to see if they were following us. Never mind.

I started a graphite pencil drawing this week too, a Lioness resting. I also have a commission, two lovely cats, a digital hand painted pet portrait that I have almost finished.

Both will be posted in the next few days. The painting will come first as the drawing is going to take quite a few days to finish.

The kitty drawing below is a graphite pencil drawing that I did a few weeks back. I hope you like it.

Long Haired Tabby Cat Graphite Drawing

Originals, prints and cards available here.

A Beautiful Day Here in my part of the UK

Well, it has been a beautiful day here in my part of the UK (Southwest). The sun was out and there was a pleasant warm breeze, I think spring may be on its way!

I took the opportunity to do some gardening, for the second time this week.

We moved to this house just over a year ago and the garden was a wilderness. I spent a lot of time last year clearing and planting it and it looked OK, but didn't do too well because we had such a wet summer.

Now, after a long freezing cold winter, the plants are beginning to poke their heads up through the soil, and many of the shrubs are amass  with new shoots. This year, they should all look good, even if the weather lets us down because they have been in for almost a year.

I haven't done any drawing or painting for a couple of days but will be over the weekend. I am going to draw a Lioness resting on a log on A3 paper. It will take some time to draw,  because there is a lot of detail in it. As soon as it's done I will post it here.

This lovely little fawn, I drew a few weeks ago. Just because I loved his sweet face.

Fawn Graphite Pencil Drawing

Buy the  Original, Prints and Cards from here.here

When I saw the photo of this cute little dog, I thought I have to draw him. His big wide eyes and dishevelled hair were beckoning to me.

I think he is a cross between a Beagle and a Poodle. Don't you think he is just Adorable? I do, that is why I have used him to head my page here and on my website

Cute Dog Graphite Pencil Drawing
10x8 on Bristol Board

Original, Prints and Cards available here

German Shepherd Graphite Pencil Drawing

This is my own dog, Honey. Here she is enjoying her bone.

German Shepherd Graphite Pencil Drawing
Size 8x10

Prints and cards available here

Boxer Dog Graphite Pencil Drawing

I am still in the process of revamping my blog, and today I managed to tackle my Home page. I think it looks much better now, more streamline and easy on the eye.

I have also started another drawing, this time of a beautiful long haired cat, a Maine Coone. It should be finished in the next day or so.
This is another drawing completed recently.
I will be posting it on my Graphite drawings pages too.

Boxer Dog Graphite Pencil Drawing

Original, Prints and Cards Available

 Size A4 Mounted

Original, Prints and Cards available here

Red Fox Graphite Pencil Drawing

Yesterday I paid a visit to my website, Sarah's Pet Portraits, and I decided that it needed a new look and a total revamp.

It is going to be a mammoth task because I want to change the layout of almost every page, to make it more streamline and easy on the eye.

I made a start by changing the template, which I may change again, depending upon how it looks with the changes I have planned. Anyway, to me, it now looks a mess and, the clean up operation is urgent.

Before I can really get into this operation I need to create and publish some new pages for my Graphite Pencil Drawings.

There will separate pages for Dogs, Cats, and Wildlife drawings with more added as I go along. I also plan to have an online shop there, just for the purchase of original drawing, prints and greetings cards (several sizes 5x5, 6x4 and 7x5).

You can shop here on my blog for them too, with a PayPal 'buy now' button.

Red Fox Graphite Pencil Drawing

Size 10x8 on Bristol Board

Original £80, ($122 US) Mounted

Prints 10x8 £20 ($30 US) Mounted

Cards -  Packs of 10 Cards

6x4 £18 ($27 US)

7x5 £22 ($32 US)

Postage - Free Worldwide

Original, Prints and Cards available here

CARDS

All cards are printed on high quality card with an ultra smooth blank insert. If you would like a personal message printed on the inset, let me know when you order and I will include this for you at no extra charge.

PRINTS - are all printed on to the very best quality fine art textured paper. They are fantastic and it is very difficult to tell that it is not an original. If you would like a custom size please contact me about this, any size up to A3 is available.

Buying Options

Original Drawing 10x8 £80.00 GBP Fine Art Print 10x8 £20.00 GBP Greeting Card 7x5 (10) £22.00 GBP Greeting Cards 6x4 (10) £18.00 GBP

Message on card insert

Lion Pencil Drawing and Digital Hand Painted Portrait

I have up until now, always worked digitally to paint my pet portraits. I have also done some drawing digitally, but not a lot. I have fancied doing some traditional drawings for a while and so I went out and bought myself everything I needed to draw traditionally. Below is a digital hand painted portrait and beneath that is a drawing of the same Lion.

Lion Digital Hand Painted Portrait

This is the first traditional drawing I have done in years. It is the same Lion painted above. I must say that I am not happy with it at all, to me, it's just not good enough! 

Having said that, this is a scanned image and the actual drawing is much, much nicer than it looks here on screen and everyone who has seen it disagrees with my misgivings. 

I have completed several drawings since doing this and they are improving each time. 

In the next few days, I will posting them too.

Any comments will be appreciated. Tell me what you think.

Three Beautiful Golden Retrievers

All three of these paintings were commissioned to help our friends Dogs in Brazil.

Buddy is the only one still living, Bailey and Sassy are in Rainbow Heaven. It was a real joy to paint these beautiful dogs and I am sure they will look great when framed and hung on the wall together side by side.

Buddy

Bailey

Sassy

If you would like me to Paint or Draw a Pet Portrait of your pet, it's very easy to do.
All you need to do is Email me some photos of your pet. If you feel that your photos are not good enough, send them to me anyway to evaluate them. I will always try my best for you, especially if you have a limited number of photos and your pet has passed away.

All of my paintings are painted by hand on my computer, using the paint engine in photoshop and a wacom pen tablet. They are then printed on to a quality Fine Art Paper and are sent to you mounted and ready to frame.

My drawings are all drawn traditionally with graphite pencils on Bristol Board. They too, will be sent to you mounted and ready to frame.

You can see some of my drawings on my Facebook page, until I am able to post them here on my Blog. I will be posting them in the next few days.

If you would like your Pet Portraits painted for a special date, just let me know and I will paint them as a priority. If you live outside of the UK, you will need to allow for delivery times.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I am always happy to help.

Digital Watercolour Paintings

I have always loved watercolour paintings, but I have never painted with them. I wanted to see if it was possible to reproduce watercolour digitally. It is not easy, and I spent months researching how to achieve a traditional watercolour effect on the computer without the use of any filters, just painting with a brush. I also wanted the painting to look like a traditional painting when printed on to a fine art watercolour paper. Here are the results. Just a few practice runs.

Tabby Kitten Watercolour

Guga (one of the Dogs in Brazil) - A digital Watercolour Painting

Basset Hound - Digital Hand Painted Watercolour

Burmese Cat - Sockie - Digital hand painted Watercolour

White and Ginger Cat - Khadija

This is beautiful little white and ginger cat is called Khadija.
Sadly she is no longer with us, she passed over Rainbow bridge just over a year ago. This was commissioned by my client for her husband whose cat Khadija was.
She was over 20 years old and is sadly missed. This paintings serves as a lasting memento to a much loved pussy cat.

Back After a Long Break

I have been away from my blog for sometime, just over a year to be exact. A lot happened last year which kept me away, not only from my blog, but from painting.

I started painting again just after Christmas and, although I have posted to facebook I haven't posted here.
Here are some of the pet portraits that I have completed in the past few months, these are all hand painted digitally.

This is pony, a beautiful Tabby Kitten, a digital hand painted Pet Portrait painted for one of the winners in an auction held to raise funds for Dogs in Brazil

These two beautiful scamps are Max and Skipper, they are Keeshond dogs. This digital hand painted Pet Portrait was painted for the second winner in the auction held for Dogs in Brazil.