Vizsla

Vizsla
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2012

Back to coloured pencils for my latest drawing – it’s been a while, or at least seems like it, since I’ve drawn anything with them. And what better subject to get back into them with than a Vizsla. Beautiful dogs!

Finished

Max
10.5" x 10.5", Coloured Pencil
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Still having problems with my computer and wishing that I was friends or living with a technical genius who could fix everything for me. Why, when something goes wrong with them does it have to be so complicated and frustrating to figure out and put right! But enough about my computer and onto the real reason for this post – Max and the final scan showing him all finished and ready for approval. Loved drawing this old boy.

Black Lab

Max
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Currently drawing one of my favourite subjects, a black Lab. Love, love, LOVE Labs! But then if you follow my ramblings on blogger you will already know this. I think Max might be the oldest Lab I’ve had the pleasure of drawing however – he certainly has the most grey hairs.

Inquiring Mind
Coloured Pencil, 23.5cm x 35cm
(With mount: 37.5cm x 48cm)
Copyright Laura Hardie

I only have one drawing left in the Dutch Auction as ‘Focused’ has sold and will soon be making it’s way to the US. That leaves ‘Inquiring Mind’, which strangely enough I thought would be the first to go, as the last one standing. It has dropped in price by another £20 and is now £90. If you would like more details or are interested in purchasing this drawing please email me.

Finished!

Flea
Coloured Pencil, 10.5"x8"
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Just popping in quickly with the final scan of Flea, who is now finished and awaiting approval. Coloured pencils are staying out as next up on the drawing board ready to be worked on is a lovely black Lab – I predict a challenge with this one!

Jack Russell Terrier

Flea
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Have made a start on a new coloured pencil portrait of a very lively, so I’m told, Jack Russell Terrier. So lively that she wouldn’t stay still long enough to be photographed and ended up having to be held in the end. Even so I think the resulting photo is full of character and hope I can portray this in the finished portrait. Love her name too, Flea – seems just perfect for her somehow.

Moving onto the Dutch Auction - there are currently three drawings still available for purchase and they are ‘Focused’, now down to £140; ‘Eye Contact’, down to £85 and ‘Inquiring Mind’ at £150. As always, if you would like details or are interested in any of the above please email me.

Pointer

Pointer
Coloured Pencil, 38cm x 28cm
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

It has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would to do but I’m pleased to say the Pointer is now finished and I don’t even feel the need to tweak bits here and there – and I have looked! All going well she will be making her way to the US by the end of the week. Another drawing I will be sad to see go but really happy to have had the opportunity to do.

Quick auction update now. If you have been following this you will know that prices have dropped another £20 on all drawings. ‘Focused’ is now £160; ‘Eye Contact’, £105; ‘Inquiring Mind’, £170 and ‘Morgan’, £70. This is the last chance you will get to purchase ‘Morgan’ (below) at this price as next week it will be removed from the auction and remain on my website at the original price of £250. A reminder of the other drawings available and which is which can be seen here.

Morgan
Coloured Pencil, 32cm x 18.5cm
(With mount: 46cm x 31.5cm)

Pointer update

Pointer, Stage 4
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Making slow progress on the Pointer but I am getting there and not panicking (yet) about getting it finished in time. It’s very much been a portrait where I have jumped around doing bits here and there, going back and forth over various areas building them up but not quite finishing them and continually moving around the drawing in this way. This is typical of the way I work and more often than not will do a drawing this way rather than finish one area to completion before moving onto the next (though I am known to do this also dependant on how I feel at the time). So why tell you this? I’ve had a few people ask if I can explain my process and while I’m more than happy to do this I’m left questioning if I have a process or method as such and have therefore been giving it a lot of thought while working on the Pointer, trying to think how I can break what I do down. There would certainly be a lot of stages:) Even if I can include more in-progress shots and let you know what has been done, colours used, etc. It has been duly noted anyway.

Pointer, Stage 3
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Auction news now with it being Monday. Prices on all available drawings have been dropped by another £20 which means 'Focused' is now £180, 'Eye Contact', £125, 'Morgan', £90 and 'Inquiring Mind', £190. If you would like details on any of these drawings please drop me an email.

German Shorthair Pointer

German Shorthair Pointer, Stage 2
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Still playing catch-up, so apologies for the late post. Going to jump straight in with Dutch Auction news to start with – ‘Intrigue’, I’m delighted to say, has been sold and is therefore no longer available leaving ‘Focused’ (£200), ‘Eye Contact’ (£145), ‘Morgan’ (£110) and ‘Inquiring Mind’ (£210) up for the taking. Prices have dropped another £20 and I know there are a few interests and people following so don’t leave it too late and perhaps lose out if interested in a piece.

Drawing board news now (very quickly) and a couple of in-progress images of what I’m currently working on. It’s a coloured pencil drawing of a gorgeous German Shorthair Pointer with lots still left to do. Busy, busy, busy:)

German Shorthair Pointer, Stage 1
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie

Stuart

Stuart
8"x10", Pencil on Fabriano Artistico Paper
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Drawing time has been compromised slightly thanks to T in the Park – well the run up to it at least. A lot of running around with daughter to get last minute essentials and now looking forward to them all coming back, including child, caked in mud! She enjoys herself so that’s what counts and I will be reminding myself of this when I’m knee deep in muddy clothes and chiselling off caked mud from her wellies.

Stuart is officially finished - he has been approved so no changes to be made and I’ve refrained from tweaking. It’s now back to colour with a coloured pencil portrait and painting to do next.

Stuart

Stuart
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Had a few problems with Blogger and trying to post last week so couldn’t show you the in-progress shots of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier I am currently working on. Not to worry though, I’ll put the three I have taken up today and it just means there is more to look at (hoping that’s a good thing:)) There is still a couple of days work left to do on this one provided I can stop tweaking which, incidentally, I’m terrible for doing.

I have a bit of news for the Dutch Auction which I am currently running and will do a separate post on that but for now I can’t forget ‘Morgan’ which, as of today, is down to £210!

Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Stella

Stella
10"x8" Pencil on Fabriano Artistico paper
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

And she’s finished! Now just needs to be approved and she can be on the way to her new home. Always feel a bit sad when a drawing goes as I get used to whoever I’m working on looking out at me from the drawing board every day – will have a Staffordshire Bull Terrier followed by a Jack Russell Terrier to do that soon.

With it being Monday I can’t forget the Dutch Auction of ‘Curiosity’ which is now in it’s seventh week already. Where has the time gone! As of today the price has dropped by another £20 down to £80. This really is a great chance to take advantage of my ‘spring clearout’ and get an original, signed pencil drawing at such a low price. It won’t be up for auction much longer and, if it doesn’t sell, will be taken out and will only be available to purchase from my website at the original cost. So if you've perhaps been wondering 'should I, shouldn't I' for the past few weeks take advantage now before it's too late.

I’d like to finish this post by welcoming all the new followers to my blog as I noticed I now have 900! I honestly didn’t believe I’d get anywhere near half that when I started blogging and I'm delighted you like my work enough to come back and see what I’m up to next. A very happy artist indeed:)

Stella update

Stella
A Work in Progress
10"x8" Pencil
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Working my way slowly across Stella’s body and you can now see the star-like marking on her chest. Next update should see her finished.

Stella

Stella
A Work in Progress
10"x8" Pencil
Copyright Laura Hardie 2011

Have been busily working away on this drawing as it needs to be finished, approved, mounted and posted by Thursday of next week at the latest. My lovely model is Stella, a Lab/Boxer cross, and she got her name because of the white star-like marking on her chest. Not sure if you can make it out at this stage of the drawing but it is there and should be more clear in the next update.

I took the image below before I worked more on her face and neck and thought I would post it for anybody who is interested in how my drawings come together.

Last portrait for 2010

Tino
10'x8' Coloured Pencil
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and Santa was good to you. I don't have a big family unfortunately (though some people may say that is a good thing:)) so it was a very quiet, but enjoyable, one for us at the Hardie household this year - just me and my kids! Spending time now relaxing and making the most of what's left of the holidays before I throw myself back into drawing and painting - first portrait of 2011 is going to be a painting so looking forward to that. Thinking a lot too about my goals for next year and what I want to achieve but more about those hopefully in my next post.

I have one more portrait to share with you before the year is out as you can see above. I actually finished this one back at the end of November but couldn't show you at the time as it was to be a surprise present for someone - delighted to say they were very happy with it. Vizslas are another breed that I love drawing but I can struggle with their colouring before I'm completely happy - reds are always difficult to get just right with coloured pencils (or is that only me:)) I did take a couple of in-progress scans while working on it...........

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has followed and supported my work throughout the year and I hope you will continue to enjoy my art here in 2011. Wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR - here's hoping it's a prosperous one for us all!

Saluki

Teruh
12'x10' Coloured Pencil
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

Has it really been that long since my last post!?! Top of my goals for 2011, which I will be thinking more about over the Christmas break, has to be better time management and to stop procrastinating so much. In my defence I have had a lot of unnecessary 'things' thrown at me this year, not art related, that has unfortunately (and frustratingly) taken up far to much of my time than I care to think about. As has all this snow we've been having recently - I've had a shovel in my hand more times than I have my pencils I think!

So while I've been a bit quiet here on my blog dealing with 'things', I have been working away at the drawing board when I can and completed a couple of portraits. One is of the Saluki you see at the top of this post, called Teruh. Normally I would have blogged the stages as I worked on it but, as time got the better of me, will show them together here incase they are of interest to anyone.

Farley

A quick post as I have lots to do this afternoon/evening, but wanted to show where I am at with the Rough Collie portrait I'm currently working on. Meet Farley, or at least some of him ........

Farley
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

I could have got a better scan looking at it now on screen but it'll pass - better ones in next post!

Update: Not so good image removed and better one put in its place - feel a lot better now:)

Holly finished

Holly
12'x10' Coloured Pencil
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

Progress on Hollys' portrait has been slow and I had hoped to have her finished last week but, as always seems to be the case lately, life got in the way of that. And I'm still having problems with my computer which didn't help! Now need to play catch up with my next portrait:)

Holly

Working away happily on a commissioned portrait of a Cocker Spaniel by the name of Holly and thought I would show you where I am at with it (looks a bit strange without her nose:)).

Holly
A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

It's been a while since I have accepted commissioned work, having taken time out for the majority of the year, but I'm delighted to say that I am now taking orders again from anyone that is interested in having a portrait or looking for an original work of art. Contact details etc, are on my website.

I'm Back!

A Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

My computer is now in working order, thankfully, but not without its problems along the way. I won't go into those (all very boring!) but I'm delighted that nothing important was lost and I didn't have to buy a new computer. It's still a work in progress restoring it back to the way it was before it crashed but I'm getting there - well almost! It's now looking more and more likely that I'm going to have to re-do my website with a new web builder programme as, despite searching high and low (for hours), I cannot find my Frontpage software disc anywhere. Very, very frustrating. At least I knew what I was doing in Frontpage!

But enough about my computer and an update of what I've been up to at the drawing board. My 'experiment' drawing using coloured pencils on gessoboard is now finished - will get a scan of this soon to put on my blog. I'm currently contemplating a background for this one as I'm not liking the white of the board left as it is and would like to get silver leaf in there somehow. I can't help thinking it would work with this piece somehow - if done right of course. Need to give this some more thought.

I'm also close to finishing another pencil drawing of a Labrador (a yellow one this time, see above:)) There are a few areas I need to 'tidy-up' here and there before I'll be happy to call it finished. As with a lot of my dog drawings, it was the expression on his face that attracted me to this pose - one of wonderment and curiosity. I can almost feel him trying to work out what it is that has captured his attention - I love it and it's so typical of a Lab. It also makes me smile seeing his face looking out at me every day - will be sad to see this one go!

Next up is a Cocker Spaniel in coloured pencils.

Black Lab No 3

Work in Progress
Copyright Laura Hardie 2010

Wish my eyes were what they used to be 20 years ago! I’ve been noticing lately just how easy it is to over strain them if I spend too many hours drawing, and I’ve the headaches at the end of the day to prove it.

Not too much more left to do on my latest black Lab and then I’m going to put my pencils away for a while so I can play with paint again. I’ve been promising myself for long enough that I would dust of my brushes and I’m looking forward to it – I even have my first board drawn up ready to go but admit it looks a lot more daunting than a blank sheet of paper somehow.

And for anyone that's interested here are a couple of 'in progress' shots..........

Copyright Laura Hardie 2010