Finished portrait of giant schnauzers, new pencil drawing

Here they are Jack and Libby finished and framed.  The flip side to having worked so big was the difficulty I had in photographing the portrait.  The image is 39cm x 56 cm making it only possible to capture through digital photography. 

I really enjoyed creating this drawing, mainly because I was faced with new difficutlies that needed attention. 

The size: when working this big I find I have to be that extra organised and careful not to dirty or damaged the paper.  (I also found that I went through quite a few pencil sharpeners as well!)

The colour of the subject. I found the best way to get around the monotony the dark colour could bring was to focus on the folds and wave in the dogs coats. To focus on the way the coat shaped the dogs, their expression and facial shape. This did demanded a little more concentration and time but was well worth the effort. Srangely enough there is no such thing as pure black even when working in black and white. 

The third difficulty I had to overcome was not really being familiar with the breed.  I researched the internet for information and images as well as asking the owner relevant questions.  This allowed me to understand both Jack and Libby much better and know what to look for.

Sadly Jack passed away a couple of weeks before the portrait begun.

I hope I have done his memory proud.