Busy busy busy!!

PHEW! Hold onto your hats, we’ve got a long post for you, plenty of portraits to talk about.

We’re working on a number of exciting portraits right now: Kate is working on a painting of two beautiful Shar Peis in oils. The client ordered a 50x50cm size. It will be a while before we can share that because it’s going to be a surprise present for his wife. I have just finished a 30x40cm painting of a lovely chestnut coloured horse named Tink, as well as a pencil portrait of a Golden Retriever named Jacques, both of which I’m looking forward to sharing very soon. I’m also currently working on a pencil drawing of a collie called Ivy. The client has asked for it to be 40 x 60cm in size, the largest pencil drawing I’ve done so far!

Obviously I can’t share those, but here are some I can share :)

GREGGY

A recently ordered a 20x30cm oil painting of Alex's mother’s Poodle for her 60th Birthday. She sent Kate some fantastic photos of Greggy, and between Kate and the client they chose the one that showed his happy nature in the best way. Kate had so much fun painting this and was really happy with the end result!

The frame chosen for the painting has an elegant black moulding with a silver slip. These are a popular choice and work well with pets that have dark or black fur.

Having received the portrait, Alex left Kate a lovely 5 star review: “After doing extensive research, I chose Kate at Purely Pet Portraits to complete a painting of our family dog and she has absolutely exceeded all of my expectations”

JARVIS

This oil painting was commissioned by Frances who wanted to surprise her husband with a portrait of their dog! She provided lots of lovely photos of Jarvis and the best one turned out to be where Jarvis was sitting by the door in their house. Frances and Kate discussed the composition and agreed on a plain background. Another request was that Jarvis be depicted wearing his favourite red collar, which Kate was happy to do. Both Frances and her husband loved the final result!

ALFIE

Peter commissioned a portrait of his wife’s horse for her birthday. He opted for a 40 x 60cm head and shoulders portrait. For the background, Kate suggested black to create a strong contrast with Alfie’s coat in the foreground. Regarding the rendering. Kate says: “The main challenge with this piece was the rendering of the fur, in particular matching the texture and dappled pattern of the coat. I’m very happy with how it turned out.”

We later found out that the portrait will be joining the client’s already extensive collection of paintings by well known artists, many of which also have dark or black backgrounds. Kate felt very honored to be joining such illustrious company.

RALF

At the same time Kate has finished a number of charcoal drawings. First one was commissioned by Gerrard who wanted a portrait of his wive’s dog Ralf for her birthday. He decided to go for an A3 head&shoulders composition. He also kindly provided us with photos of the drawing hanging in his house and it looks amazing! His wife loved the present. In his review Gerrard said:

“Really happy with our charcoal portrait of Ralf, it really captured his personality. My wife was moved to tears with her birthday present.”

ROSIE

Portrait of Rosie was commissioned by James who wanted to surprise his partner with an A3 charcoal drawing of their Border Collie. We chose a photo in which she was laying down on their kitchen floor - James said that “it was one of his favourites and it showed Rosie in her usual flopped position!”

The portrait was very well received and James left us an amazing 5 star review on our Facebook page:

“I contacted Kate and asked her to do a charcoal drawing of our Boarder Collie, Rosie as a 40th Birthday present. From the start Kate couldn’t have been more helpful; assisting me with choosing a good picture and showing me a mock up of how the drawing would look. The finished article is stunning, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Kate’s fantastic talent to anyone who is looking for a personalised portrait of a beloved pet. Thanks so much for the drawing Kate, you made my partner very happy! X”

GIZMO

This portrait was commissioned by Matthew for a present. Gizmo is a brown and white Cocker Spaniel with lovely fluffy ears. As Matthew wanted a frame that wouldn’t require additional mount, Kate suggested a black satin frame with a silver strip that it helps charcoal drawings pop. The final result looked lovely and Matthew was very pleased with it!

DAISY

This portrait was ordered by a returning client who had previously commissioned a similar portrait of her dog Maisie and was very happy with it. This time Susie ordered a portrait of Daisy for her Dad’s birthday and was very pleased with the final result!

CASSIE

A while ago we donated a gift voucher to a Mum of a lovely little girl called Ivy who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. The voucher was auctioned and won by Iona. She recently contacted us to redeem the gift voucher and Kate was very happy to create a lovely portrait for her!

Iona wrote to Kate upon receiving the portrait and said:

“Just wanted to say a HUGE thank-you for the portrait, it brought a tear to my eye when I opened it, it's perfect. Thanks too for your generosity in donating the prize in the first place. One thing's for certain, I will never win such a wonderful prize again!”

WINSTON

I've been busy with pencil drawings. I thoroughly enjoyed doing this portrait of Winston, a gorgeous German Shepherd dog. The portrait was commissioned by Imogen who lives is Australia, and was a present for her boyfriend’s birthday. They absolutely loved it and Imogen was kind enough to leave us a 5 star review saying :

“So thrilled with the portrait! Kate and Paul are absolutely amazing at what they do, I can not recommend them enough”

Honey, TOBY and INDY

I recently finished this portrait of three doggies: Honey, Toby and Indy. Neil, who commissioned the portrait wanted to have all of his three dogs in one portrait. He also chose to have the drawing framed, and decided on a black stained ayous frame combined with white moulding and UV protective glazing which I think complement the drawing beautifully. I had a great time working on this piece, it’s one of my favourites so far!