Kofi and Lily are the names of these two lovely terrier cross dogs. I had the pleasure of drawing their image in the form of a graphite pencil portrait on paper based on a series of photographs of both of the dogs. I drew their collars and name tags in colour with coloured pencil.
Ciara, my client, saw a portrait of three bichon frise dogs sitting on a sofa on my website and really liked how I interpreted the photo on paper. Therefore she decided to contact me about commissioning a drawing of her two dogs. Lily sadly passed away earlier this year and Kofi has been diagnosed with cancer:
I only recently came across your work and I absolutely love it! It was actually Chatgbt that recommended you and I now follow you on Instagram!
I would like to get a graphite drawing of my two dogs Lily and Kofi. Sadly Lily passed away last year and Kofi has just been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Lily was 18 years old and Kofi is 15. They were inseparable!
Ciara in Dublin writing to me about her two terriers for the pet portrait
As you can tell from her email, she really wanted me to capture the closeness the two cute terriers had during living together as her pets. Naturally, I had a task to translate this love in the form of a dog portrait.
Materials and Mediums for the Terrier Dog Portrait
My client’s preferred medium was graphite pencil with a splash of colour as in the portrait she liked. I used my usual go to trusted Steadtler Mars Lumograph Black pencils for the monochrome part of the portrait. For the coloured highlights I used Faber-Castell Polychromos coloured pencils. I added the names to the name tags for both dogs.
The drawing is a square format at 30 x 30 cm. I felt the square size worked really well with the photo and framed the two pets sitting beside each other really well.
I used some steps to create this drawing: the initial sketch comprised of a line interpretation of the likeness of the dogs. This step was followed by a shading proces first in graphite and then it involved adding colour to the coloured parts of the portrait: the collars and tags.
I drew on a hot pressed paper made by Fabriano, specifically their Fabriano 5 with 50 % cotton content. I find the surface of this paper works really well with my drawing style. Consequentially I have the freedom to layer pencil as many times as I wish due to its durability and sturdiness. It also has a lovely texture which is visible even after I apply a lot of pencil marks. I don’t use erasers to preserve the pencil marks I make as I progress. I feel it adds depth and intricacy to a drawing.
Client Feedback
I finished the drawing with some shadow around the bottom of the page to give the dogs some context around their paws. My client didn’t want the portrait to be too dark, so I lightened the setting a little. I removed the sofa and drew their bellies a little lighter.
I scanned the drawing then and emailed the image to my client. She was delighted with the result. I received a lovely email from her when she saw the scanned image and after she received it in the post:
Hi Ivana! Wow, I might as well be looking at them in person! It’s really so good. It’s really amazing, I love it especially the coloured collars and the expression on their hairy little faces.
I have it up being framed and I can’t wait to hang it up.
So many people have admired it. I was going to hang it in the bathroom, but I think it’s too special for there.
Ciara after seeing the scanned image of the finished portrait and after receiving it in post, Blackrock, Dublin, June 2026
Finishing of the portrait
Once I was happy with the portrait and the client had emailed me her thoughts, I was ready to spray the drawing with a fixative. I applied this in a thin coat and let it dry for a couple of hours. Following this, I put the portrait into a neutral coloured mount and took some photographs of the drawing on the shelf in my studio. I included some photos with the pencils I used for scale. I took some photos with some of my promotion materials, including business cards, and an aftercare leaflet. In general, I would recommend not hanging drawings directly above a heat source so as not to buckle the paper. Additionally, I also recommend framing the drawing under glass.
I was then ready to prepare the parcel and send the drawing off to its new owner. It almost feel like the work I have done can now start life somewhere else 🙂 I am sure it will be happy there. I enjoyed every minute of drawing this portrait.
…And Finally
I am accepting commissions for similar and different portraits alike. Just drop me a line to info@trueimage.ie or fill out my form on my Contact Page.
Right now, I am painting a large canvas of the National Maternity Hosipital on Dublin’s Holles Street for clients who had three lovely babies there. They are all grown up now, but the couple decided to have a painting made of this magnificent Georgian building. Check here soon for some updates, or follow the progress on my Instagram or Facebook page.
Feel free to leave a comment if you like. I would love to know what you think of this portrait or others you see on my page.
