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9-26-25 Charli (reference photo by Katelyn This) |
For a while now, I’ve been thinking about ways to continue
making commissioned pet portraits as a fundraiser, but in a different style.
Although I still enjoy making colored pencil portraits, they are no longer challenging in the way they used to be. They are also time-consuming. After
making nearly a hundred of them, I thought I would eventually reduce the length
of time they take, and I did become more efficient over time, but the nature of
the medium just takes time. I don’t want to raise the price to be commensurate
with the time because that might be a barrier to donating (and I’m not
interested in spending time on something that no longer challenges me anyway).
I practiced some looser styles at home, and then I was serendipitously given an opportunity to practice under live pressure (fun, though a bit daunting).
My intention was to continue practicing variations of this looser, quicker style before I opened up offers for commissions this fall and winter. But as these things seem to happen, Charli came as a commission request from one of my most generous donors and supporters. How could I say no, especially when I saw the sweet face of this pup? (Charli had to be put down recently, so making her portrait was especially poignant.)
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These materials didn't quite hit the mark I was looking for. |
While the brush pen did most of the work, I wanted a finer tool for important features like the eyes (which I believe is the feature that pet owners connect with most significantly, so the eyes have to be right, whatever “right” is). Although I didn’t use it much this way with Charli, I think the Sailor fude would also make a good hatching tool when I want to shade lighter-colored fur.
As happened with my colored pencil portraits, I’ll probably continue to revise my materials and techniques as I do more of them, but I’m pleased that I already have a method I’m happy with so that I can proceed confidently with more commissions. Before that, though, I’m getting more practice – during InkTober! Stay tuned for my first report soon.
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