What a difference a day makes....

..... or 2 or 3. Have now finished the portrait of Lara, the boxer, after putting it to one side for a few days so I could look at it with 'fresh' eyes. I wasn't really happy with how it was progressing but couldn't put my finger on why. Having this break helped as when I looked at it again could see the colouring wasn't right - she was looking too orange - funny how these things seem so obvious after looking at it afresh.

Funnily enough while I had decided to change the colour of her fur I found out from her owner that the photograph I was working from - although taken outside - wasn't a true representation of her colouring and she was in fact a lot darker all over. Her ears, for example, are completely black in real life but looked light brown on the photograph!!

I have now made all the necessary changes and am a lot happier with how it looks. So here she is, Lara, the boxer..........

Boxer update

Another stage in my boxer portrait. Worked on this over the weekend and would be further on if I wasn't so easily distracted.

Being a mother of 2 children, and having a husband who works nights, I have found I can do a lot of work undisturbed in the evenings and had planned such an evening last Saturday. Unfortunately I caught a couple of minutes of 'Grease is the Word' on TV and ended up watching all one and a half hours of it just to see who got through! Sad I know, but I was a BIG Grease fan when I was a child - still find it strange that my daughter is too and like me knows the words to all the songs.

Anyway, I digress, all was not lost and had I been focused could still have a couple of hours behind the easel - I even got as far as sitting there with pastels in hand. But then my daughter decided she wanted to watch one of her DVD's about cheer leaders and boy meets girl etc. I don't know why I'm admitting this but I found myself engrossed in this also and it really wasn't worth watching. So where I could have had 4 hours well spent at my easel I chose to spend it watching rubbish on TV!

I've put my boxer to one side for a few days to start work on a Springer Spaniel montage that has been on my waiting list since before Christmas. Looking forward to this portrait with all the different images to portray - 8 in all - and will post updates as I work on it.

Boxer in progress

This is a commissioned portrait I have just finished of a collie and jack russell in colour pencil. Taking just under 2 weeks to complete this portrait is definately up there in the 'taking forever' column.

Next up on my easel is a beautiful boxer in pastel. I have found it very hard to get past the 'ugly stage' with this portrait - for some reason this stage lasts longer for me when working in pastels - and had to keep reminding myself that it would all come together. I think it's because, certainly in the way I work, that there is a lot of blocking in with the pastels and the detail comes later, i.e. I'm impatient! Here is where I am with it just now - as you can see still a long way to go.

Rising temperatures

We have been really lucky weatherwise the last couple of days and, if the papers are right, boasted higher temperatures than some popular foreign holiday resorts. I did not, however, laze around in the garden lapping up the suns rays - although I was seriously tempted - and instead worked on my commissions, unlike some......

My husband and Zara having a rest .....

After playing on the trampoline!!!

And not content on keeping me company, preferring instead to make the most of it and watch the world go by .....

But thanks to my strong willpower I finished this portrait of Bonnie .....

Sadly, while working on her portrait Bonnie was put to rest after, I am told, 18 wonderful years of life. Hopefully her portrait will help in some way to keep the memory of Bonnie alive.