People seem to either know nothing about Rory Gallagher or have an obsession with him. For those of you who fall into the first category,...

Every year I run a competition to win a free pet portrait, and although the majority of entries and all previous year’s winners have been...

By far the most common breed of dog I paint or draw is the Hungarian Vizsla. Here are 56 pictures I have completed in the past four years...

Tawny Owl, pastel 16″ x 12″/40 x 31cm. I grew up in Ireland where Tawny Owls are completely absent, so it was really exciting to see...

The Furioso-North Star is a Hungarian breed named after its two foundation sires, North-Star and Furioso. Many thanks to Janina Suuronen...

In between commissions, I’ve spent the past two weeks working on this pastel of my son Rory. Rory is not one for posing for photos or...

Vizsla Pumpkin Stencil. Printable Hungarian Vizsla pumpkin stencil Prepare pumpkin then print stencil, cut out circle and tape securely...

I am taking part in the Country Living Christmas Fair in London this year, and it has motivated me to increase my range of products. I...

I absolutely loved Mia’s reference photograph, in addition to being well lit and clear, it really captured her expression and...

I started with a simple, very faint sketch in blue pastel. Once I was happy with the layout, I then added a layer of ivory colour for the...

Framing pastel artwork Pastel is notoriously delicate, the slightest rub can destroy a pastel artwork, and the only assured way to...

Extra Small – 8″ x 6″ / 15 x 10 cm As a general guide a 8″ x 6″ size is suitable for a single pet’s head and shoulder portrait: Ruby’s 8″...

This Alaskan Malamute enjoying the snow is the latest in my Outdoor Dogs collection. Alaskan Malamute I always find it amazing to watch...

It can be difficult to decide whether or not to include a background when commissioning a painting or drawing. Here are five different...

Black animals are notoriously difficult to photograph, so I was really glad to get such great reference photographs of these two black...

This is Rua. Rua has been a member of our family since November 2014 when she came to us from Vizsla Rescue. Like too many dogs, she had...

Bix’s portrait was commissioned by as a birthday gift, so I’ve had to be very secretive about sharing any updates in case I spoiled the...

I have had so many commissions for portraits of Labradors in the past few weeks, I thought I would dedicate a blog especially to them....

Commissioning a portrait of more than one subject does not require a reference photograph of all subjects together.  You may be lucky...

As portraits, especially pet portraits, can rarely be done from life a huge part of creating a portrait that a client will love is...