Archives for February 2012

"TC" Pet Portraits In Charcoal

Click on this picture, then click on the next version of it to enlarge! 

Welcome back to my Pet Portraits In Charcoal Blog!  Please read on about  TC, his breed, and other Pet issues…WHEN YOU FINISH…If you would like your pet, or a friends pet portrayed in an 11 x 14 in. Charcoal Portrait sent to you, (or anyone you choose), anywhere in the world, and included in one of these blog posts for the world to see… Please visit this link and get the Info!   http://www.petportraitsbycy.com/?page_id=743

TC  was owned by Betty from Westminster Colorado. TC”s breed, in Betty’s words is a “plain old short haired white cat”. More about this breed, and its more specific name in a  moment. “TC” stands for Trash Compactor.  This name came about because Betty’s daughter found this little thing at a recycling center next to a Trash Compactor machine.

TC past away a couple of years ago and is dearly missed. He lived to be 17 years old. For his first 10 years he lived with Betty’s daughter, and her husband, and then moved in with Betty shortly there after. Betty had two other cats and apparently they all got along wonderfully together. Betty says that TC was a quiet, good, social kitty.

Before moving to Betty’s house TC was living with a couple of dogs and he would get a little skittish at times. In an attempt to find a good hiding place, at one point, he almost got sheet rocked into a wall during a basement renovation. Betty’s son and son in law had to be extra careful with TC around on the construction site!

TC, as stated earlier, is considered a “Short haired plain old white cat”  Now I was not able to find this particular breed in my breeders manual so I am going to figure he was either a British or American short hair. The American short hair originally came from the British breed and was introduced to the new world from Europe by working aboard the ships coming to America as mousers protecting the ships stores of supplies. They quickly developed the special characteristics needed to cope here in these different  regions and climates.

TC was a beautiful cat, and from what I learned, had a wonderful life, (other then being born near the trash compactor thing of course!). He was very well cared for and loved, and for sure was blessed to end up with this family.  I am honored to have had the opportunity to draw him.

Thank you for reading this Pet Portraits In Charcoal Blog. Please share this with our other cat lovers! My next Blog will be the first in my new Pet Portrait Painting, Step By Step series. Also, of course be looking for more of these Charcoal Portrait Blogs soon!  Some beautiful dogs are up next!  Cy

"LuLu" Pet Portraits In Charcoal

 Click on this picture, then click on the next version of it to enlarge!

Welcome back to my Pet Portraits In Charcoal Blog!  Please read on about  LuLu, her breed, and other Pet issues…BUT FIRST…If you would like your pet, or a friends pet portrayed in an 11 x 14 in. Charcoal Portrait sent to you, (or anyone you choose), anywhere in the world, and included in one of these blog posts for the world to see… Please visit this link and get the Info!   http://www.petportraitsbycy.com/?page_id=743

LuLu is a hybrid breed, A cross between a French Bulldog, and a Labrador retriever. I will be discussing her breed shortly but first…..LuLu is Jon’s dog. He is 12 and is the brother of Julia, (who owns Clare, the object of my last Blog). LuLu is one of the 5 animals in the household, and she is basically the boss. She herds the other animals, is very vocal, will talk to you, and loves to sleep and snuggle with everyone in the family, including the other animals.

LuLu is an excellent watch dog, but has a very sweet disposition. She loves to chew her bone and she eats her dinner lying down, which earned her the nickname “Lazy Lu”  from the family. Jon and LuLu love each other very much, Jon says he was looking for a special dog for three years before they adopted LuLu, and In his words, ” It was an Instant connection”. LuLu keeps tabs on both Jon and Julia and herds them whenever she can. LuLu is a great addition to this house hold and this is another wonderful example of the story of a boy and his dog. 

LuLu is called a FrenchieLabrador, half French Bulldog, half Labrador Retriever. She has the best characteristics of both breeds. The French Bulldog was bred in 19thcentury England as a companion dog, called a “Toy Bulldog”, it is small, muscular and has a smooth coat. Its best known characteristic is its over sized “Bat” ears. It is very affectionate and is considered an excellent Lap warmer.  It got its name because it became very popular in France and it was here that the breed gained notoriety.

The Labrador retriever is the most popular breed in the U.S.. It originated in Newfoundland as a companion to fisherman, and eventually, a retriever for game. Its prime objective in life is to please its Masters so it excells as a guide dog, and with its even temperament and train ability, it  is a wonderful Family dog.

I have spent a fair amount of time with LuLu and she for sure has all of these great characteristic qualities from both of these breeds. I would highly recommend a Frenchie Labrador for the family who wants a medium sized, low maintenance and loyal dog.

Thank you for reading this installment Of Pet Portraits In Charcoal! In the coming weeks I have many more fun and interesting animals to share with you. I will be posting at least one Blog per week and many weeks more. Also be on the lookout for my “Pet Portrait Painting, Step by Step Blog” featuring the daily work progression that took place during my painting of  “Abbey”. Please share this if it may interest your friends, and I will be blogging with you again soon! Cy

“Clare” Pet Portraits In Charcoal

This is a post written a year ago featuring “‘Clare”.  Clare is an Affenpinscher and I am re-posting this because Clares’ breed won this years (2013) 137th Westminster Kennel Club Dog show BEST IN SHOW award!! And I wanted to share some information about this fun breed.

Welcome back to my Pet Portraits In Charcoal Blog!  Please read on about  Clare, her breed, and other Pet issues…BUT FIRST…If you would like your pet, or a friends pet portrayed in an 11 x 14 in. Charcoal Portrait sent to you, (or anyone you choose), anywhere in the world,  Please visit this link and get the Info!   http://www.petportraitsbycy.com/?page_id=743

Clare is an Affenpinscher. an interesting little breed  that I will provide some info on shortly. Clare is owned by Julia, a sweet 11 year old who lives in Thornton Colorado. In Julia’s household there are a total of 3 dogs and 2 cats. Clare is Julia’s dog and they are very cute together. Julia will carry Clare around with her and they can often be seen snuggling together. Clare is great with kids and other animals, but she will get a little nervous when a stranger enters the house. A friendly dog however, and warms up to new people quickly.

In little Julia’s words she chose Clare for adoption because she thought Clare was showing off to her when they first met. Apparently Julia was throwing a little toy bracelet for some dogs and Clare would run after it and bring it back to her. It was a perfect match, and their love for each other is readily evident upon watching them play together.

Affenpinscher translated in German is “Monkey Terrier”. It is one of the most ancient of the toy dog breeds. It originated in central Europe (Germany and France). During the 17th century these small terriers were bred as Ratters and were kept around farms and stores to keep the mice and rat populations down.

The Affenpinscher is a very peppy dog and has the impish nature of a monkey.  They also were nicknamed “Little Dog With a Moustache”. This wire haired terrier struts around and acts as if it were a much larger dog. Nowadays they are fun loving, mischievous, very intelligent and a great house pet. Julia and her family will happily attest to the fact that her Affenpinscher Clare loves kids and gets along with other animals as well.

Thank you for reading my Pet Portraits In Charcoal blog, Check back soon to read about many more interesting animals. Feel free to share this blog with whomever might find it interesting!  Thanks and please take good care of yourselves and your pets! Cy