Pooch right third time

I have been trying to get this pooch right for a while now and think I have finally cracked it.

This is a simple uncomplicated pastel charcoal pencil effort. This is a fine example of what goes into a painting portrait etc, when people ask, " how long did it take you" 

My answer is usually a combination of years on earth + hrs on failed attempts + actual hours on that particular finished piece. So in this case this painting, drawing whatever you want to call it took 47 years eight hours plus another two hours ! 

Yet I still enjoy it ! 

I have a few other commissions to do, including a poster for a cemetery action group ! Yep art comes in all sizes and shapes.bye for now...... Back to the drawing board literally !
 

Comments welcome on the pooch please 

 

Two Dogs

These are two little pooches done in different styles to see which the owner prefers.

|This first one is done with coloured pastels and charcoal.

This second one is a much simpler style being just black and white pastel. 

Charlie

This is another commission which vexed me for a while but I was inspired one afternoon watching Arnold Lowery on TV. He is a fabulous pastel artist and the day I watched he was doing a barge scene but he ended the show with such enthusiasm saying, "have a go, get your pastels out" or something like that.

So I did and managed to do a few pastels of which this is one.

The photo that I worked from shows Charlie playing on the beach so her coat is wet.

Anyway the customer loved it, but think I have a few tweaks on it yet.

Beagle in pencil

I had another go at my friend's Beagle commission this time in pencil.

There is a pastel version below.
,

Commissioned Beagle

Doing this for a friend at work and its coming along nicely , which is just as well as this is the fifth attempt !
You think this is bad you should have seen the others !

Updated 

Saffy again

Ok , so here is another version of Saffy (see earlier posts). I have done this because I messed with the other so much that eventually the pastels mixed and all the vibrancy of the colour was lost. So for this attempt (which is or isn't finished !) I have tried a new technique and better materials.
Firstly I have used predominantly "Unison" pastels with a little Conte crayons thrown in. Then I have used a fine grade sandpaper to paint upon(grade P800) for the first time having seen a member at the art club I go to use them. In fact she gave me this piece and it's the first time I have used it, and the "unison" pastels for that matter. So thank you Barbara, but when do the fingerprints grow back ?

Saffy , completed

I am calling this finished , well...

Beagle hound

Just had a lovely weekend in Keswick a favourite part of the country for us as it's out third visit there.
Stayed at a great guest house just minutes outside the town centre, called Briar Rigg house , check it out if you want to be spoiled.

Also bought some Alkyd paints so looking forward to using those.

I am working on a friends pet , Saffy (think thats the right spelling) and i am liking it so far.



This is Castle Rigg stone circle just outside Keswick and the weird pink haze, well I don't know where it came from , it does not show up on my camera...spooky !

All My Animals, real and not so....

Just thought I would put up all my animals in one place. dogs, cuddly toys (they're real right) horses, donkeys, rabbits and a cat.

Poppy

An update on my earlier post and now I know her name.

Jack Russell

I was asked to paint this little lady and so did a pastel and also a pencil sketch just to get the feeling for her.
She isn't finished yet but like how she  is turning out so far.

Milly

I took this along to the art club I go to at Monk Fryston and got some great advice from one of the members, (thanks Barbara) and so I got stuck in and changed a few things and she's coming on.

Few more tweaks here and there and hopefully I won't mess it up too much.