Pets & People Pencil Portraits

This is Bambi. I had the pleasure of drawing Bambi in graphite from a photograph provided by @taliciabeardsmore . Bambi is a beautiful horse and I enjoyed getting the dark shades and trying to reflect the sheen of her coat. Talicia writes “Bambi is a 6yo Hanoverian Warmblood. I purchased her as a green broke 5yo, to train through the levels of Dressage. Our time together has been short but the future is bright for this talented young mare”. #equineart #horseart #graphiteart #pencilart #offtheleadart #hanoverian #warmblood #sharethesamenickname

One of the passions of my late brother, Mark, was his horse Thor. Through the wonders of social media, I learned of a similar passion for horses via a former classmate’s daughter, @taliciabeardsmore. Talicia is a PCA Dressage National champion with such a love of horses that she has centred her career around them. I’ve only sketched a few horses before and can honestly say that It is an animal I know very little about. However, I enjoy drawing them and reflecting the bone structure through shading. This sketch is Jeopardy, affectionately known as “Jep”. Talicia writes “Jeopardy is a 26yo Australian riding pony who took me from an inexperienced rider to a National Champion in just a few years. She proved to everyone that age and height was just a number, being a highly competitive pony against all the big Warmbloods. She is now retired and living her best life babysitting young racehorses.” #horseart #equineart #warmblood #ponyportrait #offtheleadart #pencilart #graphitedrawing

I am a big procrastinator. This is one picture that took me six months to complete. It’s just I felt defeated by the detail in her top not knowing how to draw sequins. Anyhow, it deserved finishing, so fortunately the weekend was wet and rainy, and i am pleased with the end result. No heavy pencil shading on the face, just light brushing with ground graphite. #pencilart #leaseydoux #pencilportrait #offtheleadart

This is Gypsy. She’s gone to doggy heaven. Happy to help her human parents share in her memory. #staffysofinstagram #petportrait #graphitedrawing #graphiteart #offtheleadart #petmemorials

This is Eddard. Like all of my portraits, I very much enjoyed drawing Eddard, and capturing his eyes focusing on the camera. Eddard’s owner told me that he loved to be photographed. Sadly, Eddard has moved onto his next life. #petportrait #graphitedrawing #graphiteart #pencildrawing #catdrawing #offtheleadart

Meet Jax. Jax is the second greyhound I have had the pleasure of drawing. Such a statuesque pose 🦾but what else would you expect from a former racing hound. Fortunately for Jax, he is a much loved, and you can see that in his smile. #offtheleadart #petportrait #graphitedrawing #greyhound #rescuedog #statuesque #pencilart

This is Hugo in pastel. Whenever I hear the name Hugo, I think of Hugo-A-Go-Go (showing my age there). Anyhow, I enjoyed doing something different than graphite dawgs. #petportraitart #cat #hugo #catartwork #pastel #offtheleadart

This is Sarah, Sarah the Rottweiler. Sarah has the meaning of princess in Hebrew; Rottweiler has a reputation somewhat different to a princess. Nonetheless, as much as Sarah the Rottweiler is a dichotomy in name, Sarah was a much loved pet and family member who recently passed away. I was asked to do this portrait for their family to remember her by, and was excited/honoured to do this portrait. #rottweiler #graphitedrawing #petportrait #pencildrawing #pencilart #offtheleadart