Horse Pencil Portrait: Monty and Duffy

Welcome to my horse pencil portrait of Monty and Duffy. This double equine portrait was commissioned by Elizabeth and her sister in the UK as a surprise 60th birthday gift for their mum. They supplied a lovely selection of photos, and I created the drawing using separate reference images of each horse. This allowed me to capture more detail and personality in each one while blending them into a shared, softly shaded background. The final portrait was drawn by hand in graphite pencil at 16 x 12 inches, and it now hangs proudly in their family home. These kinds of custom horse portraits from photos are a joy to create—especially when they mark such a special occasion. Scroll down to read more about the portrait and its full story.

Reference photos for a double horse pencil portrait of Monty and Duffy. — Monty and Duffy

About the Commission of Monty and Duffy

Elizabeth and her sister contacted me in 2012 to commission a pencil portrait of their mum’s two horses in time for her 60th birthday. The horses were called Monty and Duffy. Elizabeth and her sister provided me with a range of photos to work from, which was perfect. I used two separate photos for Monty and Duffy, which is often preferable to using a single photo with multiple subjects, as I can see much more detail within each photo.

The portrait was completed as a 16 x 12 inch drawing, and I also added a very subtle outdoor background scene behind them to give the impression that both horses were in the same space. By shading the background, this allowed Duffy to stand out on the paper—being a white horse, it helped me depict the sunlight within the scene and on both horses' heads.

Once the drawing was complete, Elizabeth very kindly sent a wonderful photo of the portrait once it had been framed and presented to her mum.

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Happy Clients

Hi Melanie, It is beautiful! It really captures them perfectly... really pleased with it!

Elizabeth

Review

Hi Melanie, Just wanted to let you know the portrait has arrived, and it is absolutely beautiful.....perfect. Thank you ever so much for your hard work, it is very much appreciated. Once again, thank you—I cannot wait to show it to my mom. I will keep your details for future portraits we may want later on and will definitely recommend you to anyone.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas and wish you all the success in the years to come.

Take care,
Elizabeth

Elizabeth

The completed pencil portrait of two horses, Monty and Duffy, with a subtle background.

Commission Your Own Horse Pencil Portrait

If you have a horse that you would like a portrait of, or perhaps a double horse portrait like Monty and Duffy above, you are more than welcome to email or message me your photos. If you are looking to have a portrait for a specific date, try to contact me as soon as possible, as I do have a waiting list.

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Email from Elizabeth

Hi Melanie, Just wanted to show you a picture of the portrait now that it has been framed. We had it on three mounts and then a dark wooden frame around the edge... it looks beautiful! It is now hanging up in the front living room. Thank you ever so much for doing it for us. From everyone back at my end, we would like to wish you, Nicholas (and your pets) a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

All the best for the future.
Elizabeth

Elizabeth

The Horse Pencil Portrait in Situ

Elizabeth had access to her own local framer and emailed me a photo of the portrait once it was framed. I love the triple mount with the different-sized inner mounts—it works beautifully.

The framed pencil portrait of Monty and Duffy, two horses, hanging on a living room wall.

Horse Pencil Portrait: Monty and Duffy

About the Commission of Monty and Duffy

Happy Clients

Review

Commission Your Own Horse Pencil Portrait

Email from Elizabeth

The Horse Pencil Portrait in Situ

Commission a Drawing

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