Meet Trudy.
Trudy was a much beloved Westie, living with her owners for many happy years. Unfortunately she got cancer and had to be put down. Losing a pet — especially one long in the family — is a real loss.
The owner's daughter, Betsy, contacted me and commissioned me to do a pet portrait of Trudy as a gift and keepsake for her dad.
Although I had not directly corresponded with Betsy before, we felt a certain connection as I had been commissioned by her daughter a few years back to paint a portrait of the family home. Because of that, Betsy was familiar with my work and knew she could trust me to capture Trudy's essence.
This 8 x 10" watercolour sketch was done on 140lb Arches Cold Press watercolour paper, and sketched with a fountain pen filled with Platinum Carbon Black Ink. I used a scalpel to gain the effect of fine white fur around the eyes, and elsewhere I employed my Uni-ball Signo White Gel pen.
Betsy was thrilled with the result: “I got the painting! I LOVE IT! I feel like she’s here with me! My dad will just love it! Thank you again! Your work has really touched our lives!! 💞💞💞💞💞 “
As always, it's a honour to be entrusted to capture life's most meaningful memories. RIP Trudy!