23/09: BLACK LAB - PASTELS ON CLAIREFONTAINE PASTELMAT

Both double human portraits have been approved (although they can't be shown until October) so they'll be wending their way to my client shortly.  I'm told she cried when she saw one of them as the resemblance was so good.   Can't be many people who can say they know they've done a good job when they make their clients cry can there?

The grey horse (Teco) portrait has also been approved.   His owner is back from holiday today and it transpires she lives fairly close to me.   Hubby will be driving through her part of Kent tonight and will deliver the picture en route ... so I'm regaining some work/storage space at home.

I've started work today on a black labrador who sadly had to be PTS unexpectedly recently and is greatly missed.  The reference photos aren't quite as good as I'd like but we've agreed that I'll work from the clearest photo and use others to enable me to make a few adjustments.    I've outlined her and noted the hair direction etc.  As usual I've made a start on the eyes so I get a sense of her personality whilst working on the rest.  In the main reference her ear is turned backwards so I've pulled it forwards onto her face more to soften the outline.

I have another little dog to complete in pastels also .. he is a shih tzu cross and also has a lot of black fur so I'll probably start on his portrait tomorrow so I can 'flit' between these two and get REALLY messy - all that black/blue/mauve pastel dust!!

Then it will be a case of clearing the decks and cleaning up the pastel dust in readiness for a triple child portrait in coloured pencil - a much cleaner medium!

Here's the lab ... Stage I.    I'm using Light Grey pastelmat which is very light (almost white) although it looks darker here as I photographed it late afternoon and the light wasn't good.