Pets & People Pencil Portraits

This a friend's doggo called Housby, as a puppy. Only a mad netballer would call their dog Houbsy. Anyhow, how handsome is Housby! #pencilart #graphiteart #petportrait #offtheleadart

I finished this work after 21 hours. The subject is an Australian model - pic from Pinterest. I was really searching for turbans but this pic came up and I thought it a really nice pic to draw. I used an A2 size sheet of Fabriano Bristol Board, but for some reason, it didn’t have the same feel as my A3 sheets. Nonetheless, happy with the result. #graphiteart #pencilportrait #offtheleadart #fabercastell #fabrianopaper

Work in progress #pencilportrait #graphiteart #offtheleadart

I have had a fair few requests for portraits of people's former pets that have gone to doggy heaven. Here is Toby and AJ; a portrait I did for a gift for a client's Mum to remember them buy. I'm pretty happy with the result. If you want to remember your past pooch like this, please send us a message john@offtheleadart.com.au

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