I’m thrilled to be able to share not just one Labrador pencil portrait…. but two Labrador pencil portraits! Both commissioned by Bubba, who originally contacted me to create a portrait of their much loved yellow Lab, Hank. The first was a surprise Christmas gift for his wife, and the second followed just after as a birthday present for his mum.
Hank’s 12 x 10 Pencil Portrait
Hank passed away in September and Bubba wanted to honour his memory with a drawing for his wife. He emailed after finding my website and shared a couple of beautiful reference photos. We worked together to choose one that captured Hank’s character best. His pose and expression were perfect, but Bubba asked for a few minor changes to the photo. The first was to remove a leaf from his nose, the second was to remove a small shadow over one eye. Finally he asked me to draw Hank’s wet coat a little drier.
I drew Hank’s portrait at 12 x 10 inches, which is a lovely size for a Labrador head and shoulders composition. It has enough room to show all the little details in his fur and features.
Here you can see Hanks portrait all ready to send to Bubba. He was able to present it to his wife in my beautiful presentation packaging.
A Second Portrait: A Labrador Family Sketch
After the first portrait was received, Bubba got in touch again with a new idea. His mum loved the drawing of Hank and had always been the “grandma” to Hank and Moose, Bubba’s brother’s black Lab. She also had two dogs of her own, both of whom had passed away. Bubba wanted to surprise her for her birthday with a sketch featuring all four Labradors together.
This was a slightly more complex composition and we discussed how best to bring them all into one drawing. Some of the reference photos weren’t ideal, but after a bit of back and forth and several mock-ups, we found a layout that worked beautifully. Bubba loved the idea of including part of the truck, since the dogs often rode around together in it. We settled on an 18 x 14 inch size to give the extra space needed.
As with the first portrait, there were a few tweaks. I repositioned Hank slightly so his mouth was more visible, and referenced additional images to give him the familiar open mouthed look that felt more like “him.” Once complete, the portrait was packaged and posted in time for his mum’s birthday.
Photographing Your Labrador for a Pencil Portrait
As you can see from the combination portrait of Hank and his Labrador siblings. Taking the right photos of your Labrador is so important. I would also encourage you to take as many photos are possible, and on different days. Sometimes our dogs are more in the mood for being photographed, although one thing is for sure. They will ever turn down a treat so make sure you have plenty of dog treats to hand!
Backgrounds for Labrador Pencil Drawings
Thank you for reading my Two Labrador Pencil Portraits blog post. I hope you have enjoyed it! Most people opt for a white or softly shaded background for head study pencil portraits. I often add a little tone behind light coloured dogs to help define their outline. Especially with yellow or cream Labs. In both cases for these portraits they needed a soft background behind to allow the dogs to really stand off from the paper. It gives an overall lovely soft tone and kind of finishes the whole drawing. Of course with the second portrait the addition of the vehicle helped too.
Bubba chose 12 x 10 inches for Hank’s portrait, which worked really well for a head and shoulders portrait. For the second portrait 18 x 14 worked out really well, and even the 20 x 16 would have been a good size. You can view all size and price options here – Portrait Prices and Sizes.
If you would like to browse other Labrador pencil drawings I’ve completed, feel free to explore my latest pencil commissions here – Latest Pencil Portraits Gallery. And finally, you might also enjoy reading about another Labrador called Gladys. I drew her portrait I drew last year – Gladys the Black Labrador Pencil Drawing. If you have a Labrador that you might like to have a portrait of, please do get in touch at anytime.
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