ANIMAL GROUP – PENCIL PORTRAIT DRAWING – SHOW THE WHOLE PERSONALITY
One of the most crucial parts to commissioning a group pencil portrait is to have great reference, that one favourite pose of your dog that shows his/her true personality perfectly, will create a wonderful pencil portrait that you can enjoy for years to come.
The pose(s) needed for a group dog pencil portrait can be as varied as you wish and can be up to as many as six poses in the one drawing. When I undertake your group pencil portrait I work to a highly detailed level, capturing the smallest of details to create a pencil portrait of each subject that is highly photorealistic. When drawing dogs, the essence of creating a great pencil portrait is done by picking up on the signature attributes of the animal, maybe the dog has one floppy ear, or a very shiny coat, or maybe its just a particular look your dog gives you. Whatever individual attributes your dog has these elements will be captured perfectly to create you a group pencil portrait that you will treasure for ever.
When undertaking any commission I insist on good reference, as the drawing can only be as good as the reference provided. I usually have a good selection of 5-10 photos of each dog which allows me to get a good understanding of the dogs overall appearance and colour. A good selection of photos is better than just using a single photo as sometime just one photo can’t really capture the overall look and personality of the dog, which I like to add as much of in the drawing, to make it that bit more special to the owner.
As with most dog owners, having a vast selection of photos is nothing unusual, but if you are thinking of taking some new ones specifically for reference for your pencil portrait commission, it is best to take your photos outside. Using natural daylight gives a truer representation of the dogs overall appearance. Before you start shooting away, it may help to view my photo guide, it has a few handy hints and tips to help your achieve a great photo. If you want to send me over any photos you have or have photographed please feel free, I will let you know if they are good enough to use. The one simple key is if they enlarge to 200% original size and are still clear and crisp they are usually perfect to use.