Poodle Mix Pet Portrait in Colored Pencil

Here’s Simon’s other half, Ernie! Ernie is a miniature poodle with lots of floof and beautiful curls to capture.

Like in Simon’s portrait, I am using Faber-Castell Polychromos as my main pencil for Ernie’s portrait. I have also used the Slice ceramic cutter to scratch out some highlights and then soften them afterward with pencils. With Ernie’s coat, it is important to capture the areas where his curls are a bit more defined (such as on his forehead) as well as the areas where they seem fluffier (such as around his muzzle/snout).

Ernie’s mama told me he’s a pretty laid back pup who loves to snuggle, but also appreciates his alone time. One of his favorites things is making his humans happy and his other favorite thing is his special stuffed duck toy that he likes to carry around with him. He sounds like such a sweet boy and reading these descriptions before beginning to draw helps me to try and capture his personality a little bit on the page too.

Black fur is one of my favorites to capture as there are so many different colors that can be found in black fur without ever using the color black. Ernie’s fur tends to lean toward the warm side in the photo I’m working from, so you’ll find that there are some browns, caput mortuum, and olive tones within his fur in addition to varying greys and sepia tones. Adding more colors than just grey or black helps to give the fur dimension and make it look as life-like as possible!

Ernie’s completed portrait was drawn on Strathmore 300 series Bristol Vellum. This portrait is 8”x8”, with the paper totaling 9”x9” including the handling edges. If you’d like to book your own pet portrait, you can find more information on my custom portraits page!