Emily-Rose Alcock Art

Painting, and then more painting. When I’m painting a pet portrait, It’s like the rest of the world around me melts away. It’s just me, and that cute little animal I’m bringing to life on the blank page in front of me.

Can you relate with something you love?

I start with a really loose ink drawing of the pet / animal I’m painting. The ‘looseness’ of the drawing will very much depend on its fur. In this case, Daisy, the mascot of The Penny Royale cafe in Mosman is a Maltese dog and has long, fluffy fur, so I could exaggerate my lines more than with a short haired dog that has a smoother appearance.

In every painting I like to choose a focal point, which most commonly is the expression, but always something that emphasises the animal’s character. For Daisy, it’s her cute little nose and sleepy eyes. Those are the parts I wanted to draw the viewers eyes to first.

Often I find by mixing illustration with realism I can create contrast, thus taking the viewer on a journey around the painting.

To create the illusion of a three dimensional nose I began with watercolour and then shaded with coloured pencil. I finished with chalk pastel for the fine hairs on the nose and the shadow around it.