Draw and Paint a Pet Portrait Accurately

Whether you are a beginner or experienced artist using pastels, this course will guide you through every process of transferring and enlarging a photo through the steps of drawing/painting a pet portrait. This course teaches the method of enlarging a photograph using a proportional divider to accurately enlarge your drawing. It is an instrument used by artists to maintain scale ratio when transferring a drawing or photo to another surface. The two pointed equal length divider legs have adjustable pivot point selections to choose from to proportionally make elements larger, smaller, or the same size when transferring. With experience and practice using a proportional divider, your ability to judge proportions visually without the instrument will grow and improve.

The reference photo is included in this lesson, and it may be used to trace, enlarge, or transferred with any method that suits your needs. You will be able to apply the lessons learned to other pet portrait drawings or paintings.

This course covers soft pastel techniques to achieve realistic eyes, nose, and fur details. The instructor will demonstrate how to build layers of colors in the eyes to achieve the shape, depth, and reflections that bring the eyes to life. Steps for shading the dog's nose are covered in detail. And as the final steps, the fur details are built up using pastel pencils.