Westie pet portrait completed.

My first completed pet portrait of 2008. This portrait of a Westie is 12" x 16" and in graphite pencil.

Westie work in progress

Here is the latest update on the Westie in graphite I am currently working on:

New pet portrait started

I also started work on a second pet portrait today. I like to work on a couple of portraits at a time and this one is of Taylor, a little Terrier cross. His portrait is 10" x 12" and is coloured pencil. I have just done the outline so far and had to darken the photograph a lot to show the pencil marks. The paper is actually off-white all over!!

Westie update

I have been working today on the graphite Westie portrait. This is due to completed this week:

First pet portrait of 2008!

I have started my first Pet Portrait of 2008 this weekend. This 12" x 16" graphite portrait of a Westie was actually ordered before Christmas for completion in the New Year. So far I have just completed the outline:

Art goals for 2008

I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and voice my goals for the coming year on my blog.

2007 was my busiest year so far and saw the website get to page #1 on Google and me with at least one commission to do every month. I'm pleased with what i've done last year and i've seen an improvement in my artwork, however, as always there are more things I want to do to improve and expand.

#1: Explore new mediums
Graphite is my favourite medium and there's no getting away from that. It's also the medium I am best at. Even though I offer coloured pencil as a choice on the website, i don't particularly enjoy using them and have considered several times stopping offering them. However, I like to offer a colour option. This year I am going to make an effort to learn to paint. I have acrylic paints and also pastels and I need to practice with them and would like to be able to offer one or both of them as an option for pet portraits by the end of the year.

#2: Get organised
I am very good at being 'busy doing nothing'. This year, it has to stop. I need to spend less time on the internet and more time drawing and/or painting. Last year I decided to set aside time from half 12 to 5pm for drawing. I've not really managed this so I think I may reduce the time slightly to keep myself better motivated - perhaps 1pm till 4pm or something. I have bought a calender for the studio and am going to mark deadlines for commissions and my own work on it to hopefully keep me more disciplined.

#3: Painting / drawing for me
I have done hardly any artwork last year that wasn't a commission. This year I am going to try and complete at least two works a month that isn't a commission. This will also help with the new meduim practice.

#4: Try new subjects
I hate to admit this, but I do sometimes get bored of drawing pet portraits. I look at other people's pictures and they are so good and some so different and I think, "I want to do that!" I want to try some local landscapes, particularly the tumbledown croft cottages that we see on our travels as well as local wildlife such as the Deer and Seals. I also want to draw pets but in scenes or doing something, not just 'posed' portraits. I thoroughly enjoyed drawing Ruth and Rosco's portrait, so have some plans for some 'people and pets' drawings.

#5: Develop other products to sell
I have plans for handmade cards with my artwork as the focal point and also prints. This is an area I would like to use the local scenes and wildlife for as I think they may be marketable in local shops. I am also going to look in licensing a bit more after some interest last year that didn't come to anything I'm going to do some research on how it all works and if it's something that would be worth doing some work for.

So, there you have it - the plans for 2008. Hopefully by this time next year i'll be able to tick them all off!!

Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2008.