Welcome to my blog post about the Golden Retriever Montage Pencil Drawing of Kipling. This beautiful portrait features Kipling, a much-loved golden retriever, in a montage of pencil drawings, showing his character across different stages of life. His family commissioned the portrait here in the UK and chose to include their younger black Labrador, Percy, in one of the studies too.
Maria first got in touch to say..
“I was in touch with you in June last year about the possibility of having a portrait done of Kipling, our golden retriever. I never got round to sending photos as we have literally thousands of him & just seemed such a big job to sift through them all.”
Eventually, she managed to gather a lovely collection of images and emailed them to me.
“I attach below a selection which hopefully give an idea of him… we were thinking of having a head shot of him in the middle & then 4 corners of smaller drawings of him, one to include Percy.”
I designed a mock-up based on their photos and proposed a soft, connected layout. Also I shaded the backgrounds behind each sketch to help Kipling’s pale golden fur stand out. The aim was to create a sense of flow across the piece while still showcasing individual moments.
Maria and her family decided on the largest size, a 24 x 18 inch drawing, to do Kipling’s presence justice. “Yes wonderful. There’s no particular hurry, just that excitement levels are rising here so just need to manage expectations!!” I always love to hear the no hurry comments as it allows me to work at my own pace and not feel pressured with any kind of deadline.
When I completed the portrait, I sent over photos. I explained how photos don’t quite do the real artwork justice, the drawings are always more natural and lifelike in person. Maria replied – “Wonderful news indeed!! The portrait looks fabulous and we can’t wait to see it in the flesh!”
Client Feedback and Framed Portrait
Once the drawing arrived safely, Maria updated me..
“Just to let you know that the picture was safely received on Thurs. I got it into the framer today, so we had our first look at it today — it’s magnificent! You’ve really got him and we are absolutely delighted.”
There were a few delays in framing, but it made the final moment even more special.
“Finally, Kipling came back from the framers yesterday! There have been all sorts of delays for various reasons so it has been a long wait but we are absolutely delighted with the end result. He looks magnificent!”
Maria also mentioned their plans to unveil the portrait at home: “We plan to have a grand unveiling / hanging with the children!!”
Creating Montage Pet Portraits
Montage portraits are a wonderful way to celebrate every side of a pet’s personality. Whether it’s a mix of sleeping poses, playful looks, or head studies, these multi-image drawings tell a story. I’m known for this style and clients often request them when they find it hard to choose just one photo!
Adding a second pet, like Percy in Kipling’s drawing, is always possible too. I’m happy to help clients arrange their photos into a layout that brings each moment to life. If you’d like to read more about another montage portrait, visit this post: Cat Pencil Pet Portraits Montage
And if you’re interested in a golden retriever portrait, I recently shared another lovely example here: Black Labrador Pencil Drawing. For details about commissioning a pencil montage or single portrait, head over to my pencil pet portraits website. I’d love to hear from you.
Are you enjoying our blog? Why not sign up to our Art Blog, which comes right into your inbox each month! You can sign up at the bottom of each blog post. Please don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel too. You are more than welcome to comment below, we love hearing from our readers!
2 thoughts on “Golden Retriever Montage Pencil Drawing of Kipling”