Bark Wahlberg the Golden Retriever

Bark Wahlberg the Golden Retriever
Bark Wahlberg the Golden Retriever by collage artist Megan Coyle
“Bark Wahlberg the Golden Retriever,” Collage on paper, 7″x5″
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This was the last collage I completed in 2020. It was also the first collage I’ve ever worked on while live streaming my process. I was nervous about live streaming at first, however, I’ve gotten used to it and actually like it a lot. It’s a wonderful way to work on my artwork and have some company at the same time. Especially these days when we’re all cooped up, it’s a wonderful way to connect with my followers and other artists.

Lately I’ve been live streaming from time to time on TikTok. I’m planning to start live streaming on Instagram as well, but I’ll work on a schedule to make it easier for my followers to know when that will happen. I suppose at the moment I like how I can hop on and live stream on a whim when it comes to TikTok.

The Happy Bernedoodle

The Happy Bernedoodle by collage artist Megan Coyle
“The Happy Bernedoodle,” Collage on paper, 7″x5″
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This piece was the second one of two commissioned pet portraits of bernedoodles that I completed recently – and this one was of a dog named Ace. This piece was a lot easier to tackle than the other one, but that may have been because I was feeling a little rusty with dog portraits until after I completed the portrait of Addi. Ace’s sketch was also much closer to the composition of the final portrait, which also helped a great deal. I especially enjoyed working on Ace’s portrait since he looks so happy, it’s hard not to smile when you see an upbeat expression like that.

If you’r interested in purchasing my custom art, you can learn more about the commission process here.

The Playful Bernedoodle

The Playful Bernedoodle by collage artist Megan Coyle
“The Playful Bernedoodle,” Collage on paper, 7″x5″
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This piece was one of two commissioned pet portraits of bernedoodles that I completed recently – and this one was of a dog named Addi. I had a lot of fun tackling this portrait, and a big part of that was how expressive Addi was in all of the reference photos that I was provided. I initially struggled with this collage since my sketch wasn’t well thought out. I didn’t include the octopus toy in the sketch, and Addi’s paws were posed differently. As a result, I ended up having to rework her paws. I also realized that the shape of her head wasn’t sketched out proportionally, so again I had to work on reshaping that section. This portrait was a good reminder that initial sketches are so helpful for planning a piece, and taking more time in the beginning to get the sketch down right, will save you a lot of time later down the line.

If you’r interested in purchasing my custom art, you can learn more about the commission process here.

Golden Retriever

“Golden Retriever.” Collage on paper. 5″x7″
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One of the silver linings of quarantine is that it’s forced me to get more productive with my artwork. I can’t believe that this “Golden Retriever” collage is time lapse video #14. Nearly every week since lockdown has been going on, I’ve been striving to complete one of these time lapse videos. And I was pleasantly surprised with how this piece turned out.

The Long Haired Dachshund

“The Long Haired Dachshund.” Collage on paper. 5″x7″
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I’ve made quite a few dachshund collages over the years, and the other day I wanted to work on making another long haired dachshund portrait. I also decided to film the process. The interesting thing about filming my collage process, is that sometimes I feel a little nervous about filming my work. I never know how things will turn out and if I’ll be pleased with the finished collage. However with this piece, I was happy with the results.

And here’s the time lapse video:

Pug Life

“Pug Life.” Collage on paper. 5″x7″
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Sometimes working on a work of art can be a bit of a struggle. For instance, this piece started out in one direction, but after completing the initial sketch, I ended up erasing it entirely and sketching a different version of the same subject. Then when it came to the layers of paper, it took a bit of reworking the details to get things looking the way I wanted them to.

I don’t know if I’m finished with this piece, but I’m done for now. The wonderful thing about art is that you can always revisit older pieces and rework them when you have a fresh pair of eyes.

I made a time lapse of this piece too that you can view below:

Bosty goes to Seattle, WA

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

It’s been a while since Bosty has gone on any adventures. He recently moved to NYC, and thought he’d head over to the West Coast for a bit of a break from the city. Seattle sounded like a fun place to explore.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

He started off doing some goat yoga in the morning in Snohomish, just outside of Seattle.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

Bosty heard great things about the national parks nearby, so he decided to take a look at Mount Rainier National Park. There were so many large fir trees in the park. Bosty couldn’t get over how green everything was – no wonder they call Seattle the Emerald City!

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

The park had quite a few beautiful waterfalls.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

Bosty’s favorite part about Mount Rainier National Park was getting to hike in the snow around Mount Rainier. What a beautiful mountain!

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

The next day, Bosty wanted to check out more of the city. His first stop? The Chihuly garden and glass museum.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

Bosty couldn’t stop looking at all of Chihuly’s beautiful, bright glass sculptures. He was feeling very inspired by all the artwork!

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

Next, Bosty strolled around the Public Market and made sure he got some very touristy snapshots of himself in front of various landmarks.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

Some people might think the Gum Wall is gross, but Bosty thought it looked beautiful – just look at all those colors!

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

He decided to swing by the Seattle Aquarium to admire all the underwater creatures.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

And he had to take a look at the first Starbucks, so he could get another touristy picture.

Bosty goes to Seattle by Megan Coyle

He ended his adventures at Kerry Park, where he could get a great view of the city’s skyline with the iconic Space Needle. Bosty had so much fun getting to know such a beautiful and green city.

Did Somebody Say Walk?

Did Somebody Say Walk collage by Megan Coyle
“Did Somebody Say Walk?” Collage on paper. 5″x7″
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The other day I completed an Australian Shepherd collage, as part of my dog portrait series. I have a tendency of being drawn to animal portraits for my collages, so I feel a need to try to change things up this year by exploring landscapes/cityscapes and still life work. We’ll see what I end up piecing together next!

Corgi in the Wild

“Corgi in the Wild” Collage on paper. 5″x7″
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It’s been a while since I’ve made any new work. Life has been difficult for a number of reasons these days, and as a result, I’ve had to put my art on hold. Luckily my time has freed up a bit lately, and I felt a need to dive back into art-making. I figured what better way to get back into my creative routine than by making a collage of one of my favorite types of dog?

Anyway, stay tuned for more art. Previously I used to make something new just about every month. I’m thinking that I’ll alter this frequency a bit as I start exploring different creative outlets. After all, a big part of being an artist is exploring and experimenting with different ways of being creative. It’s good to change things up.

The Distracted Pit Bull

The Distracted Pit Bull by collage artist Megan Coyle
“The Distracted Pit Bull” Collage on paper. 5″x7″
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Life has been a little hectic and chaotic for me lately, so I haven’t had a chance to make that much new artwork. However, I still managed to find some time. This is a commission that I completed the other day for a friend from high school. I used a pretty limited color palette for this piece, which was challenging and fun in it’s own way. I tried to incorporate a decent amount of texture in the background as well as for the dog. This collage was also a challenge in the sense that the dog’s head is tilted at an unusual angle. Anyway, I enjoyed tackling this pet portrait of a dog from Peru.