Bringing a Drawing to Life: The Art of Genevieve Bieque Self-taught artist, Genevieve Bieque, drives a

Bringing a Drawing to Life: The Art of Genevieve Beique

Her business name is “Simply Art by Genevieve” and this self-taught artist has been doing just that ever since she was a young girl drawing with her mother. “Every day that it was rainy and we didn’t have anything to do, we would draw,” says Beique. “I’ve always drawn and I always needed to draw.”

Her subjects are dogs, cats, horses, birds, and other wildlife, and her drawings are anything but generic. Her portraits include lots of fine detail, drawing out each individual animal’s character. Some are full body, others are close-up, and her canine subjects include regal older dogs with graying muzzles.

They say that the eyes are windows to the soul. Through her pencils Genevieve seems to evoke the souls of her canine subjects by starting her drawings with lifelike eyes, detailed with subtle catch lights and deep reflections that start to give each drawing a life of its own. If you stare at one of Genevieve’s dog portraits, it can seem like he or she is staring right back at you waiting for that gentle scratch behind the ear, a treat, or just some kind words.

Are your portraits mostly drawn from photos? Is it difficult to work with a poor-quality photo?

Yes, all the portraits are drawn from photos the customers provide. Unfortunately, it is more difficult when the photo has low resolution. I have to imagine some parts sometimes. But most people can provide more than one image, so I can take reference from multiple sources and that helps a lot.

What kind of pencils do you use? What range of graphite hardness? And what are your favorite or most used colors?

All my pencils are either Faber-Castell Polychromos, or Caran d'Ache Pablo or Luminance. I only use colored pencils, except when I do the outline, then I use Faber-Castell graphite in 2B. I don't really have a favorite color, but the most used are black, browns, and tan.

Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? Is it hard to know when to stop?

I think I am. I was a lot worse years ago. It is hard to know when to stop, but with experience you learn that nothing is ever perfect and always striving for your best is the way to go. And it’s the way to grow and get better. When I finish a portrait, I usually leave it for a day and look at it again. Then I can see little things that I can improve, if need be. But I need to take a step back first.

What are some of the reactions you get from clients after they see your finished portrait? What is your emotion when you have completed a drawing?

I've had multiple types of reactions, the most common is being emotional. Sadly, the majority of the orders I get are for memorial portraits. So when they receive their beloved pet's portrait, it's very hard for them to hold the tears. I always feel so grateful and honored to have this talent and be able to share it with people to bring a little bit of their pets back to them.

What type of paper do you use and why? What sizes are your portraits?

I use Strathmore 500 Bristol vellum surface or Fabriano Artistico Hot pressed. I use them because they are archival quality, acid-free, 100% cotton paper. They make a really beautiful surface to work with and the end result is phenomenal. I've tried many, many different papers, and these two are my absolute favorites. But again, it depends on the artist too.

The most common sizes I do are 8 x 10 or 11 x 14. But I've done up to 24 x 30.

I noticed the start of one of your portraits began with detailed eyes and just a light sketch of the face. Does looking at the eyes help you define the character of your drawing?

Yes, I start all my portraits with the eyes. I'm not sure why I started doing that, but I find that it helps to look at them and see the eyes looking back at me and it brings everything together. I've had many people comment on how they can see the personalities come through when they look at the portraits. Or how I captured their spirits. I think it’s from the eyes. If I don't get the eyes right, nothing else will look right.

At what point do you feel like your drawing is coming to life?

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I would say as soon as the eyes are done. I can always picture the whole thing in my mind, but it's much easier with the eyes.

Is art your full-time job? And, if not, are you hoping that it will become full time?

No, unfortunately it is not my full-time job. I do hope to grow my business and become a full-time artist one day, absolutely. I also have other projects that would allow me to be my own boss in the near future. So, I'm looking forward to that!

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Yes, I do, I'm a shift worker, 40+ hours a week. I drive a forklift truck in a Michelin Tire plant.

How long have you been doing dog and other animal portraits as a business? When do you find time to draw?

I've been doing this as a business for the past five or six years now. It started very slowly. I would say the past three have been amazing. I find every minute I can to draw. Days off work mostly. And some

nights after day shifts or before going on night shifts. They are 12-hour shifts, so I'm pretty tired when I come home. But drawing could keep me awake all night.

Do you have your own animals?

I always had animals in my life; unfortunately I don't at the moment.

Where do you get your inspiration? Do you have a muse?

I don't really need to find inspiration, since people provide me with the subjects to draw. So I don't have a muse either. I always draw from beautiful pictures I see. When I draw wild animals, I take reference from the wonderful nature photos we can find

online. I just always want to draw the pretty things I see.

I read that you spent time drawing on rainy days when you were you were a child. What were some of your favorite subjects to draw then?

Yes, I did, thanks to my mother who always loved to draw as well. I think I was always drawing animals or landscape. Anything nature related.

What are some of the drawing techniques that you use to create depth and texture in your dog and animal portraits? Do you have any formal art training?

I'm not sure of the technique I use. I kind of always go from instinct. There were a lot of trials and errors at first. I'm not formally trained so I can't really

explain how I do it. I think it's a question of being able to see light and shadows and understand how it affects the colors and texture. But again, it's really instinctive. I can see it and then I put it on paper.

Is there anything else about you or your artwork that you would like readers to know?

I don't know what else I could say, but I'm really flattered and humbled being interviewed for your magazine. My love of drawing has given me the chance to make other people happy and bring a little bit of sunshine in their lives, and that's the definition of art for me. We all need a little sunshine.

For pricing and more information about Genevieve’s art, visit her website at genevievebeique.art. and www.etsy.com/ca/

shop/SimplyArtByGenevieve

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