Drawing Wet Fur

Posted on by Zara Toms
A4 (8.3" x 11.7") colour pencil drawing When I was asked to draw Alfie I knew creating the wet fur look would be a new challenge. It was the first time attempting to draw this type of effect but I tackled it as I do all my portraits - I broke it down into layers and worked in small sections to make the piece look less daunting. The wet look created shapes in the fur. It's very true what's said...
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‘Stag at Sunset’

Posted on by Zara Toms
'Stag at Sunset'8" x 10" Acrylic on canvas with airbrushed backgroundPre-stretched by my local framer, ready to hang on your wall. This is my latest acrylic painting which is now for sale and ready to go to his new home. I loved working on this piece. I had an image in my mind when I planned this painting. It was inspired by my first trip to Scotland. The sunset through Roseisle forest was inc...
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Bonnie is finished :)

Posted on by Zara Toms
Bonnie was a real pleasure not only to draw but to photograph. In some circumstances, I am asked to take the reference photographs myself. I have a DSLR camera that captures all the detail in high resolution so I can add all that fine detail to my portraits. The day I photographed Bonnie it was bright sunshine and very hot. I took approx 100 photographs and sent 5-10 to her owner. I like ...
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Lioness on the easel..

Posted on by Zara Toms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S-9NSuvT0k A4 (8.3" x 11.7) Colour Pencil DrawingReference photo: Stephanie Swayne @ Wildlife Reference Photos This is one of my current wildlife colour pencil portraits which I'm yet to finish. I am working on this in between pet portraits but hope to have it finished by Christmas. I chose this reference photograph because I love the cropped angle and ho...
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Work in Progress – Bonnie

Posted on by Zara Toms
It's not often I can share these work in progress updates. Majority of my commissions are surprise gifts so there can be some months before I can share finished portraits with you.Bonnie's portrait is currently at the framers and I cant wait to see photos of it on the wall.I had the pleasure of taking Bonnie's photo for this portrait. She has such a sweet, gentle nature and loves being fussed. ...
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Black paper & Colour Pencils

Posted on by Zara Toms
https://youtu.be/KPxVkbY29jE A short real time clip of me working on Ratchet's portrait. The full time lapse video can be found over at my YouTube channelhttps://youtu.be/YXAzEh8ACUw My most popular medium that I currently work in is colour pencil. The first time I did a portrait on black paper I only used 3 pencils; 2 greys and a white. I was so happy with the effect it created and instantly...
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A good reference photo makes such a difference.

Posted on by Zara Toms
I mentioned in a previous blog post about the benefits of having a great reference photograph to work from. I was asked to do this portrait of Bertie earlier this year and I was so excited with the photograph I was given. It was taken on a DSLR camera which does make a difference but the lighting, pose and his expression was perfect. Nowadays, mobile phones have excellent cameras and these are mo...
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Our Scottish Escape

Posted on by Zara Toms
This probably has to be my favourite road of the whole drive.. Who wouldn't love scenery like this <3 Long drive but worth every mile..Scotland has always been a special place to me. It's where me and my husband had our first holiday together almost 3 years ago. Since then, we visit twice a year and absolutely love it. We take all three of our dogs so we always drive which is a 580 mile tri...
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