Just completed a colored pencil portrait in memory of this beautiful Golden Retriever named Sequoia.

Blue Merle Collie - Brodie

This is a portrait of my blue merle collie, Brodie. He's 6-years old and I just got around to doing a portrait of him!

I completed the colored pencil portrait with Prismacolor and Derwent pencils. I used Turpenoid to blend the background and leaves, just to make the process a little quicker.

The portrait is 9X12 on Bristol Vellum.

Shorkie Portrait

This is a recent colored pencil portrait I completed of a little Shorkie named Oli. He is a cross between a Shih Tzu and a Yorkshire Terrier. Shorkies also go by the name Shorkie Tzu.

Oli the Shorkie

He is a lively little fellow who would play ball all day if he could, so it's only appropriate that he should be holding a ball in his portrait.

I completed the pet portrait using Derwent Coloursoft Pencils and Prismacolor colored pencils. I applied acrylic paint with a small brush for a few of the highlighted hairs.

Feel free to contact me, if you would like information on a custom pet portrait from your own favorite pet photo.

Shiba Inu Portrait

I completed this Shiba Inu portrait with Prismacolor colored pencils. It is 8X10 on Arches, 140 lb., hot-pressed, 100% cotton paper. The true-life colors in the portrait are slightly lighter than the computer shows and the background has is more of a sky blue.

The background for the pet portrait has layers of sienna brown, sky blue light, blue slate and true blue blended with a stiff pencil brush. I used both circular strokes and cross-hatching.

The fur has layers of cream, jasmine, yellow ochre, goldenrod, sand, burnt ochre, terra cotta, clay rose and white. I lost count of the number of layers I put down on the paper. It's got to be at least twenty.

For the dog's nose, I used indigo blue, dark umber, cool grey 90%, black grape and black for the darkest areas.

I began the brown eyes with a layer of jasmine, then added burnt umber, sepia, cool grey 90%, canary yellow and white.

Portrait of My Grandson, Sam

Sam

This is a colored pencil portrait of my grandson, Sam. The picture was taken on his first birthday and I thought it would be a wonderful keepsake of that special day.

The portrait painting is 9X12, created on Canson heavyweight drawing paper. I used Prismacolor colored pencils for most of the portrait with a few Derwent coloursofts.

Custom Pet Portraits for Mother's Day Gifts

Are you trying to think of a special Mother’s Day gift? Does your Mom have a pet that is always at her side?

Consider a custom pet portrait for Mother’s Day. It’s easier than ever to order a pet portrait from photos. Transform a favorite photo of your mother’s dog or cat into a custom pet portrait.

With so many digital images taken by cell phones, cameras and video cameras that never get printed but are stored on the computer or on the camera. Your mother could have hundreds of pet photos trapped in her phone or camera that she hasn’t looked at since they were taken.

Wouldn’t your mother love one of her favorite pet photographs turned into a lasting, original artwork to display in her home.

Contact: kcurleyart@gmail.com for more information on a pet portrait in colored pencil and view commission pricing.

Odin, the Great Dane Puppy

Odin, the Great Dane Puppy

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This is an 8X10 portrait of my daughter's Great Dane, Odin. He is 160 pounds now, at least the last time I checked. His weight goes up daily it seems. The reference photo I used to draw the portrait was taken when he was about 10 weeks old. I gave the finished puppy portrait of Odin to my daughter as a birthday present.

When I began working on the background, I decided to try oil pastels, rather than colored pencils. I wanted to keep the background light, so the pastels worked out well for that.  They were also a lot quicker than doing the whole background with colored pencils.

I completed the background after drawing in the rough sketch of the dog, then began with Odin's eye. I used a combination of colors including: jasmine, goldenrod, yellow ochre, burnt ochre, dark umber, indigo and shades of gray. I darkened the rim of Odin's eye with indigo, sepia, dark umber and terra cotta.

The fur on the dog's head and back took many layers of colors. I layered cream, jasmine, yellow ochre and goldenrod for the lighter fur. For shadows like the wrinkles ontop of his head and around the ear, I layered goldenrod, dark brown, tuscan red, burnt ochre, sienna brown and black grape. I also used peach for the area between his toes, as well as cream and white.

I had to make sure that the shadows and highlights remained visible to give shape to Odin's snout.  I find black dogs or black areas difficult, so I really have to be aware of the shadows and highlights that are going on. To make the black areas in his snout have depth, I used many shades of gray, for instance French greys in various tones and cool greys. I also used layers of indigo, black grape, dark purple and lightly added black for more definition. These are the colors I used for the dog's nose, as well.

I applied four layers of workable fixative when I thought the portrait was done. After looking at it for awhile, I decided to add more layers of color overall to deepen the tones. Workable fixative is great because it allows you to make adjustments afterward. If I had used a permanent fixative, I would not have been able to add extra colors.

Take a look at the Step-by-Step slideshow that displays how I work with Prismacolor colored pencils and the color and fur progression.