The Pet Portrait Blog
Welcome to my blog.
Hello, I'm Sema Martin, and I welcome you to this series of blog posts tailored to assist fellow artists in their quest to achieve greatness. With a specialization in color pencils as a medium, my expertise stems from creating numerous pet portraits that have found homes across the globe. Join me as we delve into the intricacies of art, unraveling techniques, and insights to elevate your craft. Let's embark on this artistic journey together!
Categories
How to start an art business
To all my fellow artists out there wishing and hoping to be full time and actually make a living from selling your artwork. Based on everything I have learnt in the last three years of building my own successful pet portrait business, I have created this 200-page book that provides everything you need to know about starting your own art business.
Drawings of black cats from start to finish
This blog post is dedicated to all the black cats I have had the pleasure of drawing since I became a full-time artist in 2016. I must say the black cats are such a pleasure to draw and I have loved each and every one of them. Look through my black cat drawings and learn their names and where they are from. If you have a black cat I would love to draw him/her! Please contact me for a quote and let’s create a work of art that you will treasure forever!
Pugs in Color Pencil
Welcome to my blog! This blog post is dedicated to all the pugs I have had the pleasure of drawing from photos. Check out their stories and progress pictures from start to finish. If you would like to commission me to draw your pug then please contact me. I would love to talk to you!
Returning from The Rainbow Bridge - Book Launch Giveaway
Have you lost your furry family member? Are you finding it hard to move forward without them? I know this pain all too well, but I am incredibly honoured to be apart of the launch for this new book ‘Returning from the Rainbow Bridge’. This gorgeous book is a compassionate guide that will walk you through this experience of loss with a workbook format which acts as a road map and a caring companion that will help navigate you and your family through your pain and loss. This workbook does not suggest that you “get over” your pain and loss; instead, it provides you with a way forward with your changed reality. Within these pages, you will be encouraged to remember, celebrate, and honour the full life of your animal family member.
2019 World of Colour Pencil Exhibition at the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick, UK
My Drawing ‘Lazy Days’ was selected for the 2019 World of Colour Pencil Exhibition run by the UK Colour Pencil Society at the Derwent Pencil Museum in Keswick, UK.
Now an Award Winning Artist
I am so proud and excited to announce that after entering my first ever at competition I have won three awards!! I entered the Light Space Time - 555 Special 2019 competition and three of my colour pencil artworks were chosen. One of my artworks even came in 4th place which I think is amazing out of 1,165 entries.
Must join Facebook Groups for Colour Pencils Artists
As an artist working from home, I sometimes feel isolated and it can be hard to find people in the local area who has the same interests as me. Since joining these Facebook groups, I have found such a large and wonderful community that has taken me in with open arms and all have the same wonderful thing in common, a love for coloured pencil art.
5 Artist Studio Must Haves
When it comes to the right studio space for any artist, some of us can be limited or find it hard to know what we need before we can sit down and draw. I have taken around 3 years to learn and build up the must have items I use every day for my commission work. In this blog I have laid out the 5 Artist Studio Must Haves I cannot live without including scanners and drawing board. There is a direct amazon link for a UK or US customer for each item I talk about. I hope this is useful to you. Let me know in the comments below.
How to: Use Arteza Expert Watercolor Pencils & Premium Watercolor Pad
I have had the great opportunity to test out Arteza’s Expert Watercolor Pencils, and Arteza’s Premium Watercolor Pad.
How To: Use Arteza Art Colour Pencils
This blog is about my test of an art brand called Arteza You may have heard of them. They had kindly enough sent me two of their products to try out and evaluate. Their 100 sheet premium sketch A4 sketch book and their tin of 48 expert colored pencils. There will be links to buy them below if you would also like to test them out.
5 Must have materials for colour pencil pet portrait artists
I am a self-taught colour pencil artist and I have been using colour pencils every day for the last four years to create my portrait commissions and develop my skills. I have learnt a lot about the types of colour pencils out there and which ones work best with my style of drawing. When I first started drawing I used a small tin of Derwent drawing pencils. These were ideal to get me going and are an inexpensive way to start developing your skills as a colour pencil artist. But as I started experimenting with other brands I realised the significance of more expensive pencils and they were so much better in terms of saturation and depth.
5 Essential Tools for Pencil Portraits
Apart from paper and colour pencils there are a few essential tools I use to create my pet portraits over the last few years. Here is a list of the ones I can’t do without with a link to where you can buy them. I hope this helps with anyone starting out in colour pencil drawing. Let me know if there are any you use and think should be on list too!
Tuxedo Cats in Colour Pencil
Welcome to my blog! This blog post is dedicated to all the tuxedo cats I have had the pleasure of drawing from photos. Check out their stories and commission progress pictures from start to finish. If you would like to commission me to draw your tuxedo cat then please contact me. I would love to talk to you!
Engineering or Art?
As a child I had always loved drawing and colouring for hours on end. I went through hundreds of colouring books and tried every medium of art imaginable. I was forever creating and imagining beautiful animals and plants to draw until I was told I had to pick a ‘real career’. I don’t understand why we are told, so young, that art and music are just hobbies, not career paths. Becoming a doctor or an Engineer is the ideal path and so that is what I chose.
Color Pencil Pet Portraits in Canada
Canada looks like such an incredible place and i cant wait to visit one day. Since becoming a professional Pet Portrait Artist I have been lucky enough to have sme customers from Canada and hope to build more of a client base there.
Color Pencil Pet Portraits in Wisconsin, USA
I have always loved America and have lived there twice during my studies. Since becoming a professional Pet Portrait Artist I have had many clients from the US in multiple states such as Virginia, Alabama, Indiana, California, New Mexico, Texas and many more. This has allowed me to gain the experience for drawing a wide range of cat and dog breeds.
Colour Pencil Pet Portraits in Malta, Europe
I have always wanted to visit Malta for the incredible cities and landscapes. I have gained a few clients from Malta since becoming a professional Pet Portrait Artist and would love to have more. This has given me the experience of drawing a range of cats and dog breeds.
Colour Pencil Pet Portraits in Canterbury, New Zealand
I have always wanted to visit New Zealand for the incredible landscapes. I have gained a few New Zealand clients since becoming a professional Pet Portrait Artist and would love to have more. This has given me the experience of drawing a range of cats and dog breeds.
Color Pencil Pet Portraits in Wyoming, USA
I have always wanted to visit Wyomig for the incredible landscape. Since becoming a professional Pet Portrait Artist I have had many clients from the US in multiple states such as Florida, Alabama, Indiana, California, New Mexico, Texas and many more. This has allowed me to gain the experience for drawing a wide range of cat and dog breeds.
Color Pencil Pet Portraits in Utah, USA
I have always wanted to visit Utah for the incredible landscape. Since becoming a professional Pet Portrait Artist I have had many clients from the US in multiple states such as Florida, Alabama, Indiana, California, New Mexico, Texas and many more. This has allowed me to gain the experience for drawing a wide range of cat and dog breeds.