The Westies

My first Christmas commissioned piece has been gifted a little early so I’m sharing these three scamps with you. This is Ben, Blossom and Murphy.

The Westies Pastel on velour 12″x18″

The photo reference I worked from. I went to photograph the
left and right dogs but Blossom in the middle is sadly no longer
so I used some reference the client had of her.

I’ve sketched this whole composition which I pieced together first
on Photoshop out on normal cartridge paper first. Then I cover
the back of this and transfer it onto the velour.

Going for a neutral gradient in the background. I want it to be warm
but provide a good contrast for the light coats.

Using Unison pastels. I love their light range
and use all these warm and cool tones to create
some depth to the fur. I save white or Unison Grey 27
as the brightest highlights.

This shows some of the colours I use in the under layer
to create the flow of the fur.

Blossom’s picture is tricky as I’m working from the light in
the others to try and match her into the composition.

I often get asked how I get small detail with big
Unison sticks. This shows how one has worn
down leaving me with a nice sharp edge to use.
My crumbs and bits and pieces are so useful!

My workspace. I like having everything in close range. Most of
my pastels are colour organised into groups although you can
also see my Unison Animal sets to the right which I have kept intact.
These sets have been making demos very easy for me…no packing,
just bring the box!