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Hints & Tips

Atlas is finished :)

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Zara Toms

💕🐾 Meet Atlas 🐾💕Atlas is a handsome German Long Haired Pointer. I'm told he is a big softie but his nickname is 'Doofus' as he can be a little goofy 😆. Despite being 37kg his 2 year old family member can walk him round the garden on a lead. Such a good boy 💗. I thoroughly enjoyed working on his portrait. I always love capturin...
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Photograph tips

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Zara Toms

I had the absolute pleasure of capturing Stan & Dan. A kind photographer, Jamie at Forever Photogenic, went and took some stunning photographs of them for me to use for the portrait. Having high quality photographs does make such a difference. They do not have to be taken by professionals, most cameras now have excellent cameras and capture the level of detail needed for the portrait...
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Alfie’s final video is up!

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Zara Toms

Click the thumbnail below to watch the last of this three video series :). I have enjoyed making these videos and trying to help as much as I can. I do have a lot of other artists follow me on social media and often get questions on what supplies I am using, techniques and how I approach certain elements. So I hope this video is useful. I would appreciate a thumbs up on the video and any comme...
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New video – Alfie’s 2nd layer :D

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Zara Toms

I have just uploaded the second part of this three part series focusing on Alfie's 10" x 12" acrylic painting. As with the first video I mention the brushes I am using, the process and tips. I am new to making videos of this content so if there are specific areas you wish for me to cover, or improvements I could make please let me know. Click the thumbnail below to watch the full video :)
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New help video, break is down :)

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Zara Toms

I mentioned during Alfie's graphite post that I have decided to break down Alfie's painting into three video. Three stages showing how I layer and tackle the portrait like this. Explaining what materials I am using etc. This video is much slower than my other videos and you can see how I am using the brush and laying the paint down. If these videos are of use I would love to hear in the comments ...
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Alfie work in progress..

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Zara Toms

I have been working on a sweet Westie called Alfie. I have the pleasure of capturing him twice! Once for this A4 graphite drawing and then a 10" x 12" acrylic on canvas. I like to keep my clients up to date with regular photo updates. If it was me I would love to see it come together. In some cases they prefer for it to be left as a surprise but majority of the time photo updates are appreci...
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Varnishing my paintings

Posted on April 22, 2020 by Zara Toms

Vanishing your paintings is really important. I have only ever used one type of varnish and as it's worked so well and I am pleased with the results I've never needed to change. Why I use spray varnish..My preference has always been spray varnishes. You can purchased liquid varnish which you pour onto your work and then brush across evenly. This has never been a method I wanted to try for a c...
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Ivy on the easel <3

Posted on April 16, 2020 by Zara Toms

I have been looking forward to starting this portrait for months. I had the pleasure of meeting her to take the photographs needed for this portrait. I hope I am capturing her sweet expression in the drawing. Its only because I have met her that I really know just how adorable she is. All she wanted to do was be cuddled and be with you. And she has such soft fur <3. I love working w...
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Backgrounds in pastels..

Posted on April 14, 2020 by Zara Toms

I am still new to pastels. This was the first scenic type background I have attempted with pastels. The reference which I posted here in a blog post a few days ago shows that the background was more out of focus but still had enough detail in the sea and rocks which I really enjoyed capturing. I wanted to make a blog post covering a few points for approaching something like this for the artists t...
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Something new.. People!

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Zara Toms

Occasionally I get asked to draw something different. Something that challenges me and gives me an opportunity to learn new skills, techniques and in this case textures! There were a few elements of this piece which were new to me and I had to experiment on a scrap piece of paper to find the best way of tackling them. The first was the blanket the newborn baby was wrapped in. It was similar to...
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