Pets That Resonate

 

1/7/24 Fin (reference photo by Russ McGuire)

In reaction to the pet portraits I’ve been posting on social media, a follower commented that I had found my “calling.” Another said I have “a knack.” I’m not sure I agree with either, but I must say that I am enjoying these animals more than anything else I’ve drawn from photos.

Whenever the topic comes up of how to start and maintain a drawing habit with the objective of gaining skills, one of my mantras is resonance. I talked about it nearly 10 years ago on my third anniversary of drawing, and I still believe in it strongly as a motivator. If you practice drawing by copying a bunch of cubes and spheres from a book or setting up boring still lives that don’t interest you, you are doomed to quit. I know this because I had tried that many times for years before I finally made the drawing habit “stick.” And the way I got it to stick was discovering urban sketching – a subject that resonated with me so strongly that I didn’t have to worry about practicing. I became so engaged in observing and sketching the world around me that I was always motivated, and the practice took care of itself.

1/6/24 Billy (reference photo by Kim Lathan)

My motivation with pet portraits isn’t the same – I’m not trying to develop a new habit – but I recognize the resonance. Something about the faces of well-loved animals touches and engages me. Zoo animals (or occasional pets) from life have long been a favorite sketching subject, and I will always prefer drawing animals from life than from photos. But the kind of studied portraits I have been making in this series would not be possible from life, and using photo references is giving me so many more pets to draw than I could have from life.

While all of this is plenty, there’s still more: The pet owners are so happy to receive the portraits, and now Dog Gone Seattle will also benefit (all portraits shown in this post were commissioned for donations to the pet rescue/adoption organization). Win-win-win! No wonder it all resonates with me.

As for the models themselves, I must say that all the dogs in this bunch stole my heart – what a joy to draw those delightful faces! (No offense to Max, the one cat, but I was given a terrible reference photo – a tiny image, the dead-on, frontal stare, flat lighting, no catch lights in the eyes – so the drawing experience was less than enjoyable. Shading and catch lights were mostly faked. Max was slightly redeemed, however, by the fact that his entirely toothless mouth gives his face a perpetual frown. Knowing that did make me smile.)

1/5/24 Max (reference photo by Matt Jordan)

1/7/24 Stewart (reference photo by Kim Lathan)

Technical notes: For the portraits I’m making on the covers of Field Notes, I am trying to make them durable enough for actual use. Waterproof Uni Pin fineliner pens for the main drawing are a reliable medium, and touches of color with non-soluble colored pencils seems safe enough.

1/8/24 Charlie (reference photo by Bobbi Letsinger)

For the two pups named Billy and Stewart, I wanted to make a light brown mottled background in the same way I’ve been making a gray background with ArtGraf water-soluble graphite. I tested a wash of Caran d’Ache Museum Aquarelle pencil on a Field Notes cover to see how water-soluble it remained after drying. On watercolor paper, Museum and ArtGraf can be moved again when water is applied to the dried pigment. Birch Bark cover stock, however, is not sized for wet media, so the pigment sinks in immediately. The result is that once it is completely dry, it is sufficiently waterproof for cover use (under normal circumstances – I can’t vouch for a dunk in the tub). The ArtGraf had the same result. It’s a bit ironic that this cover stock with inappropriate sizing is beneficial with wet media in the way I’m using it!