I was commissioned to draw two pet portraits as Christmas gifts this year. Oddly, both commissions were of beagles! For both of these commissions I was provided a photo of the pet, with one of the pets only having a portion of the dog showing so I had to figure out what the hind legs looked like from other photos. In both commissions I created a nature background for the dogs, and in one I create an Art Nouveau design in the top right and bottom left corners.
For both of these illustrations I used 400lb Strathmore illustration boards. They measured roughly 9×12″ and I used a mix of gouache paint, gesso, acrylic, Copic markers, and polychromous pencil crayons. As in all of my artwork, I then sealed them with a fixative that prevents smudging and fading. For the gouache work I’ve been using the Pebeo gouache varnish.