You Are Loved Dog Portrait

Australian Shepherd dog portrait in graphite finished. I love drawing animals, dogs especially. It was really fun to play with the Faber Castell 9000 pencils. I'll list the tools I used for this at the bottom.

Drawing is the foundation for all, whether you doodle or want more. It's what humans have been doing to express themselves since the cave days of drawing :)

"You Are Loved", 14'x13.5", Dog Portrait, Graphite on paper. SueBetanzos.com

Tools of the trade for my drawing below:

• A set of Faber Castell 9000 pencils in the leads of: HB, B, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B.

• A 9B and extra 6B Derwent pencil because I use those pencils  so much.

• Kum hand pencil sharpener.

• Mechanical .05 mm pencil with 4B lead for fine details.

• Pentel click eraser.

• Kneaded eraser.

• Small pointed blending tool to soften and fill some areas.

As you can see, my favorite pencils for graphite portraits are the 4B, 6B, 8B, 9B.

Any pencil is good for your sketch book.  Now start drawing! :)

I See You, Dog Art Portrait

Playing with my new Faber Castell 9000 graphite pencil set. The smooth leads stay sharp and leave rich marks, shading beautifully.

Also using a .05 Pentel hi-polymer lead in a mechanical pencil with a 4B lead helps get fine lines without sharpening. I love drawing animals. It's great to flip to drawing after the marathon mosaic mural :) Drawing is my foundation since forever.




This Aussie girl lives in Switzerland. The graphite is a study for a painting to establish the main values (lights and darks).  I was going to use it as an underpainting, but decided to let it stand on it's own.

A Grisaille underpainting is really helpful when painting.  It is a technique many of the old and new masters use.
The main work of composition and values is established in black and white. Then it's just a matter of coloring or painting over it.

I like to establish the darkest areas first in relation to the lightest. Then it's easier to find your middle values. The eyes are usually the focal point in portraits. Get them right and the rest falls into place... usually ....

Linus, Dog Pencil Portrait

The Linus dog pencil portrait is part of a series of pet portraits and our connection to our pet companions.
That saying "pets enrich our lives" is an understatement. For many our companions are family members and our relationships with them are priceless.

*The impulse addition of my reading/working glasses was a visual pun that worked out, enhancing the original drawing.

Linus is a young Australian Shepherd that loves to be involved in every aspect of his family's life. Sometimes he can be relaxed enough to hang out with a good book!
His portrait was such a pleasure to draw and I thank the owners for loaning me the reference photo. The graphite drawing will be used for notecards and a personal newsletter.

Derwent and Faber Castell pencils were used on Stonehenge paper. I liked that the paper had just enough texture (tooth) to really do some nice layers. The thickness (weight) of the paper is great for pencils and even some light painting (not too wet).

Usually I like to start with the eye of the subject - it's the soul of the painting. Whiskers were added last with a very fine liner and gouache. Then I toned and refined the whiskers with a very sharp HB pencil.

Audio book I listened to: Downpour, by Kat Richardson. Urban Paranormal mystery. Pretty cool.

Linus Reading Glasses, 8"x11" pet portrait in pencil - original available 

The Eye - 

K9 Gallery, Dog Portraits

Happy Monday! A few dog friends I had the pleasure of portrait painting (Harley, Bonnie, Maya, Riley, Kita, Risa, Bella, Macy/Chet, Anabell) . It's always fun to meet beautiful dog souls. I'll be playing with some sketches and ideas in different breeds :)

Dog Portraits - Acrylic on canvas  © suebetanzos.com

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Midnight Inspiration

Risa - Wise Companion, Loyal Friend, Keeper Of My Heart.
Acrylic on Canson Illustration Board.

Could not sleep with storm brewing that made Risa very anxious. So used some of my scraps for mini artworks called ATC or Artist Trading Cards.

Animal & Nature Keepsake Boxes

Playing with images on keepsake boxes that combine mixed media with hand painting and faux finishes.  Dogs, words, nature, mermaids and more will be explored.
Birds and boxes - summer studio fun.
The new Keepsake Boxes can be found on my new Etsy store Art Of Sue.

Deals for you! I'm clearing out my studio for new work in the STUDIO SALES section.

Aussie Keepsake Box, Risa StarGazer

Back in my mural painting, faux finishing days, faux/fantasy stone finishes were my specialty. Mostly on furniture.

It took many hours and practice boards to develop the techniques and I LOVE the wabi sabi of the stone finishes.

The boxes will all be different in mixed medias. They are sealed with two coats of clear sealer.

Aussie Tess Memorial Pet Mosaic

A sweet mosaic pet memorial to Australian Shepherd girl Tess. Reverse glass painting with silvery stars, moon and a singing bird add a bit of magic realism along with elements of the beach and sea such as crabs, starfish, shells and flotsam. Tess loved to play on the beach and the white stone with the tiny shell is from her cremation site. Her owner was in the coast guard and loves lighthouses, hence the tiny light house.


Though pet companions come in and out of our lives, there is always one or two who are extra special. Tess was such an individual.