Suki and Willow

One of my friends recently asked if I would have a go at a portrait of her partner's dog, that she wanted to give to him as a gift. She sent me a load of photos and I also specified a side shot of the head and a close up of the eyes.

Suki (on the right) was the subject and I have to admit, she was quite a challenge. I worked on her on and off over a couple of weeks. She's the first dog I've attempted and getting the basic head shape right (under all that hair!) was no mean feat. At one point I resorted to sawing off a third of her snout when I realised that the proportions just weren't right. When I finally worked on her hairy coat, she just suddenly came together.

I was so nervous when I sent the photos to my friend - I really had absolutely no idea if she was going to like what I had done. The relief when she messaged back that she absolutely loved her - and please, please would I do her other dog Willow!!

So for my next doggie, I took a couple of interim photos so that you can see the foundation shape of the head and how I then apply the outer coat.

Her eyes look quite bulgy at this stage but of course they are completely inset once her hair is felted in.

With these long haired dogs I felted in the hair and then trimmed it back with scissors - a bit like a dog groomer I guess! Another skill that I can perhaps add to my CV!

So here are the beautiful pair (thanks Tara for letting me use your photo) and the final portraits.