We are delighted to share the wonderful work of Natasha Giles, who is currently studying our Pet Portraits Diploma Course under the guidance of tutor Heather Jolliffe. These two pieces come from Assignment 4, and they really do showcase how much Natasha is growing in confidence and ambition with each submission.
For her first exercise, Natasha chose to work in pastels on A4 pastel sketching paper, tackling a fox portrait, a subject she hadn’t attempted before. The result is really impressive. The texture of the fur is beautifully rendered, with lovely variation in tone across the warm russet and amber of the face, and the mottled golden background sits harmoniously behind the subject without competing for attention. Those pale, watchful eyes are particularly striking and give the piece a real sense of life and personality. It takes confidence to try a brand new subject, and Natasha has risen to the challenge wonderfully.
For her second exercise, Natasha turned to acrylic paint on A3 canvas to capture a portrait of her own dog, a gorgeous white golden retriever painted in a lush garden setting. This is a much more complex undertaking, combining a full body animal portrait with a detailed landscape background, and Natasha has handled both with real care. The garden background is fresh and vibrant, with lovely variation in the greens, and the soft, careful rendering of the dog’s white fur against that backdrop shows great attention to tone and shadow. Natasha notes that she added shading to help her subject settle into the scene, and it shows, the dog feels grounded in her environment rather than simply placed upon it.
It is wonderful to see Natasha taking on new challenges, working from photographic reference, using an easel, and pushing herself with subjects and compositions she hasn’t tackled before. We look forward to seeing what she creates next.
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