English Bull Terrier portrait - Tosca's story
Tosca's portrait came my way after Michelle from West Sussex won a custom pet portrait in a charity auction.
She sent me several photos of her English Bull Terrier, and rather than choosing one and sticking rigidly to it, I used them together to create a pose that worked better as a portrait.
Luckily, Tosca isn't exactly short on recognisable features.
That long Bull Terrier nose, upright ears, black eye markings and little flashes of tan gave me plenty to work with for her A5 hand-drawn portrait.
Breed: English Bull Terrier
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Medium: Coloured pencil & wax crayon
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Size: A5
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Commissioned by: Michelle, West Sussex, UK
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Created from: Several reference photographs
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Occasion: Charity auction prize
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Breed: English Bull Terrier ★ Medium: Coloured pencil & wax crayon ★ Size: A5 ★ Commissioned by: Michelle, West Sussex, UK ★ Created from: Several reference photographs ★ Occasion: Charity auction prize ★
A charity auction portrait of Tosca
Michelle won her custom portrait in a charity auction and chose Tosca as the obvious subject.
Soon afterwards, a selection of Bull Terrier photos landed with me.
There wasn't one single image I wanted to copy exactly. Instead, there were useful bits across several of them – a better angle here, clearer markings there and plenty of opportunities to get a good look at that unmistakable face.
For a portrait artist, Tosca is not a dog you easily confuse with anyone else.
Several photos, one Tosca
Michelle's photographs showed Tosca from a good mix of angles, which gave me a bit more freedom when planning the portrait.
Rather than reproducing one photo exactly, I could use the selection to work towards a stronger pose while checking the details that needed to stay unmistakably Tosca.
Her long curved muzzle was obviously important, but so were the smaller things – the pink colouring across her nose, black markings around her eyes, tan patches and the way those ears sit on top of her head.
Sometimes one great photo gives me everything I need. Other times, a few different views are much more useful.
Not sure what you've got? My photo guide explains what makes a good pet portrait reference.
Creating Tosca's portrait
Bull Terriers give you some brilliant shapes to draw, and Tosca was no exception.
I started with that unmistakable head and gradually built up the black and white areas using coloured pencil and wax crayon.
The smaller flashes of colour made a big difference too. Pinks through her muzzle, warmer browns around her cheek and ears, and softer greys through the white fur stopped those areas becoming too flat.
And with a face this distinctive, there was never much danger of Tosca disappearing into the crowd.
The finished portrait
Once the final marks were down, Tosca's A5 portrait was ready to head south to Michelle in West Sussex.
The finished drawing brought together the different reference photographs into one portrait – keeping the features and markings Michelle knew, without being tied to one particular photo.
And judging by the message I received after it arrived, Tosca passed the most important test.
What Michelle thought
“Yes, it arrived safely and we love it, you have captured her perfectly.”
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Got more than one favourite photo?
That's absolutely fine.
Send me the photos you have and I'll help choose what works best – whether that's one photograph with everything we need or a few different references that can work together.
I'll use them to create an original hand-drawn pet portrait that's recognisably yours, right down to the details you know best.
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Created from your own photographs
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