This is a drawing of Zippy, the gorgeous tabby cat that was with her owner for more than twenty years. She sadly passed away last year and her owner’s mum asked me to create a keepsake portrait of her. The portrait was a Christmas present and I had to wait to share it so as not to spoil the surprise 🙂
The photo worked really well and I suggested drawing her portrait with some addition of green in Zippy’s eyes. They were quite striking and I wanted to capture this subtly in the drawing. The client thought this was a great idea.
I worked in a small size of 25 x 20 cm in graphite pencil on paper. I used some Faber-Castell Polychromos for the eyes. I had one photograph to work from in which Zippy was wearing a red bandana. The client wanted this removed and I finished off the drawing without it.
Hi Ivana! It is beautiful…..I love it thank you so much. I am sure she (client’s daughter) will love it, you have done a wonderful portrait.
Jacquie on receiving the final scanned image of the finished drawing of Zippy, Cork, Christmas 2023
I wanted to capture the soft fur of this gorgeous cat and therefore I didn’t add too many sharp lines to the drawing.
Zippy’s owner was just delighted with the finished drawing when she received it. It makes the drawing process so enjoyable for me and gives me that extra motivation for the next one:
Hi Ivana! Just to let you know my daughter loved the portrait, she cried when she saw it first, it was very emotional but really loved it and was so happy and surprised. Thank you again hope you had a lovely Christmas and Happy New Year.
Jacquie reflecting on how her daughter reacted when she received her drawing at Christmas 2023, Cork
