Molly the dog
Molly the dog
The Brief
I have drawn several animal portraits before, and just studies of animals that I have drawn for my own interest. Lots of people have seen these and wanted one for themselves of their own pets, or as presents for someone else. This was no different. A work colleague of mine asked if I could draw her dog which had sadly passed away. I had lots of photos to choose from and we settled on one of Molly swimming with her stick, as this really reflected her playful personality. This is one of those drawings I refer to as a “memento drawing”. These pieces, like all of them, means I want to do the very best I can for whoever receives the drawing. So they can look at it afterwards and be really happy that they are truly looking at their pet.
The Result
I was very pleased with the result of this drawing. What you can’t see on the original photo is that there were reeds in the foreground which obstructed part of Molly and took away some of the focus from her. I used my imagination to hypothesise what was behind the reeds and especially in the reflection of the water which must be accurate. I called on my knowledge of hydrodynamics and colour matching to ensure that the wave patterns and reflections were seamless. The recipient of the drawing was extremely happy with the finished product.