Drawing With Graphite, Dog Portraits by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Maxine" ©2017 Leada Wood

Maxine is a Labradoodle and my brother belongs to her, or at least that is how Maxine sees it. She is friendly and outgoing and can put her paws on my shoulders, but thinks she is a lapdog. She has never met a stranger and loves to gaze adoringly with her pretty brown eyes into mine. I just love Maxine!

Drawing With Graphite, Dog Portraits, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Foxxy Jewel" ©Leada Wood2017

Foxxy Jewel is my grand dog and she is some dog. She enjoys swimming in the family pool and dressing up in costumes. You will see her adorned for every holiday. This Corogi even has her own Facebook page...she might be one spoiled d o g.

Corogi are playful, outgoing, and friendly. They are small dogs with a big dog's heart and attitude. Originally breeded for herding cattle they are now family companions and are very trustworthy and loyal. The queen of England is quite fond of them and has several, I guess you could say they are royal dogs.

One cool dog!

Drawing With Graphite, Dog Portraits by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Precious" by Leada Wood©2017

Didn't you just love Disney's Lady and the Tramp? It was just the cutest movie ever! This is my fourth drawing in my "Drawing With Graphite" series. Spaniels are quite a challenge to draw...all of that hair! I sure hope it is a little easier if I decide to paint it.

Drawing With Graphite, Dog Portraits by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Rascal" by Leada Wood©2017

This is the third dog in my series " Drawing With Graphite". This little dog nearly whipped me! As of now I think it is more difficult to draw a short haired dog versus longer hair but that opinion could change with the next portrait.

 My grandmother had a little chihuahua named Rascal and he was very fierce and protective of her. That little dog scared me as he was a friend to no one but my cousin and my grandmother. Funny thing...when my cousin would get asthma my grandmother would put him in bed with her and the next morning her asthma would be gone but the dog would be wheezy. Go figure...

Drawing With Graphite, Dog Portraits, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

"Huckleberry Hound" by Leada Wood©2017

This is the second dog in my series "Drawing Dogs With Graphite". I am not sure which is more difficult to draw...the long haired  variety or short haired. There are also a lot of angles in their faces that catch the light and make it a challenge to capture. I start by sketching in the figure and go immediately to the eyes and develop them. I feel that the eyes are what bring life into the drawing and if I can't get those correct the rest doesn't matter so I begin again. I endeavor to capture the personality of the pup.

 We had a Dachshund when our children were small. His name was Huckleberry Hound and he loved to hunt rabbits here on the farm. One day we could hear him barking and investigated and found him stuck in an irrigation pipe. He had followed a rabbit I suppose and we had to rescue him. He never did that again. Our daughter loved to put him in the basket on the front of her tricycle and drive him around. He was such a good dog and enjoyed playing with the kids. We loved our Huckleberry!

Drawing With Graphite, Dog Portraits, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Ok, ok, it's official! I have gone to the dogs...at least that is what I have been drawing lately. I thought I would share a few of these doggie delights with you during the next few post.

Kris Kringle by Leada Wood©2017

  It's rather difficult to take a pencil and paper and create something much less try to make it recognizeable. I love to draw and have been doing it for years and it is still a challenge which I embrace with enthusiasm. I can tell my hand muscles are a bit out of shape as my right hand is getting sore. It is a lot of repeated motion.

  I use a mechanical pencil, vellum, stump and kneaded eraser when I draw. I like the mechanical pencil because I don't have to sharpen it and it makes a fine line. The vellum is a smooth surface paper and has no tooth so I can push the Graphite around with my stump or use my eraser to lift it. The vellum also doesn't turn yellow like a lot of drawing paper. Do you have a favorite drawing paper that is acid free? Please share the brand in the comments.

 This little pup reminded me of my parents miniature schnauzer Kris Kringle which we gave them one Christmas. He was a comical dog and loved to take naps with my dad. He wasn't allowed on the bed but mom could see the imprint of his head on her pillow. He was a good companion and they sure loved that rascal. Thanks for stopping by!

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window by Leada Wood ©

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window by Leada Wood©

My neice Laura got the cutest Boston Terrier pup! His name is Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, although I haven't met him in person yet the photos inspired me to do a painting of him. I thought it would be a challenge to do him in  torn paper collage . Painting with paper is always a challenge, kind of like doing a puzzle, figuring out what paper would make the best texure to get the effect you are trying to acheive. I probably could paint two painting in the time it takes to do one collage but I enjoy the challeng of these!  I always loved the song "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window" so I used different fonts and printed part of the song out and used that for the background. Since most of the painting was done with differnt values of black, greys, browns,blues, and whites, I decided a  red for the little fellow to rest on would be nice.  This little fellow is for sale and prints are available.  I would also like to do a custom portrait of your best friend for you!
Just email me at leada_w@hotmail.com