As I mentioned in my last blog, I attended a fantastic online series of events last week called the Shiny Squirrel Summit. The first session featured the talented artist and instructor Bonny Snowdon and addressed making money doing pet portrait commissions. To be honest, this wasn’t something I’d ever considered, but I love pets and listening to creatives, so I made sure to attend.
And WOW. I was blown away not only by her skill, but by her warmth, her honesty, her energy, and her passion. What’s more, she (and so many of her students) draw realistic portraits of animals using colored pencils. It’s a medium I’ve been drawn to but haven’t really studied yet.
It became clear this is someone I wanted to learn from. I wanted to learn about. I’m hoping to be able to take classes from her soon, but in the meantime, she graciously shared that she has free mini lessons online.
I took three of her them. A cat’s eye:
A dog’s schnoz (note: it’s called ‘nose’ on the site):
A cat’s ear:
And oh, the fascinating technique for making those tiny hairs (no, it’s not a white pen!) You must check out her website here.
Who ‘nose’? Maybe someday I will do some portraits, but for now, I’m enjoying the journey. Won’t you join me?
I love drawing animals/pets! I just need to sit down and do it daily...but there are a number of writing projects I need to tackle first. :) Great seeing you at the Shiny Squirrel Summit!