Here is the finished pastel portrait I have been working on :). I have adored capturing these four beautiful Collies. Seeing all four personalities come together on one portrait has been a real delight.
Layout process for this piece:
Getting the sizing and ratio of each of them was important being that they were set out in this format. Coming up with layouts such as this I always design first in a photo editing software. Trying many background options and positioning of each pet and then forwarding these onto the client for them to pick their favourite. During this design process any tweaks can be made. From making one or more of the dogs bigger or smaller, swapping any of them round to change the order to possibly changing the reference photos entirely if they do not work the layout. It’s during this process that we can make these changes easily. So that when I come to starting the portrait everything is in place and me and my client know just how their portrait will look when finished.
My goal:
I strive to achieve the personality and characteristics of every pet I am asked to capture. I am not wanting to draw ‘A Collie, a Labrador, a Spaniel’ but rather that is ‘Ruby, Roxy, Tia and Teddy’. Knowing a little about each of their personalities in some ways makes me feel like I know the pets that I am drawing. So from left to right in their owners words we have:
🐾 Ruby is 14 this year, the old lady of the pack. She is a special girl with the sweetest nature ever. She was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 3 which has affected her in many ways so we are truly blessed that she is still with us.
🐾 Roxy is a 13 this year. She is a rescue with a strong working ethic. Had a difficult start in life but is now the most beautiful, trusting and respectful dog. She is at her happiest when she is pleasing you.
🐾 Tia is 6 years old. She is the crazy one of the bunch. Really quirky, highly strung but loyal and protective. She also loves doing agility and competes at Championship level. A true sweetheart.
🐾 Teddy is 6 years old. He is a big boy with a lovely soft, nature. He is bright and keen to please. He loves doing agility and now competes at Championship level and has represented the Isle of Man at Crufts for the past 2 years. Truly a man’s best friend.
Moira Collins from Mc Photograpy took some exceptional photographs for me to use for this portrait. Check out her Facebook page if you’re interested in professional photographer.
I am in the process of editing together the full time lapse video. As you can imagine there is a lot of hours to put together so it’s taking a little longer! Later today at 6pm Cleo the black cat’s time lapse video will be uploaded to my YouTube channel and shared on my Facebook page. Head across this evening if you’d like to see her come together :).