My Pencil Planet

An illustrated world, rich in graphite, for you to explore

Welcome to a sample collection of my pencil art. I draw in graphite and charcoal pencil, illustrating people, pets, horses, and wildlife. Please take a scroll through my online gallery. Drawings shown here are for display and for sale as originals, as prints, and as note cards. I do commission artwork, such as personal portraits, business portraits, and portraits of honor, as a gift or keepsake. Memorial portraits are indeed available. Just below, you can see a slideshow of samples.

I'm adding more drawings all the time to this page, so please mark this website and come back often. If you become interested in buying, scroll all the way down for purchasing details. If you have questions or suggestions, please send an email to me at roy@roykaelin.com. (Click the email address, a window will open.)

By the way, for some of the artwork featured here, you can find a selection of it reproduced as tasteful gifts and accessories at my online store, hosted by Zazzle. Check the growing array of fun items for all occasions.

Thanks for stopping by, please bookmark this page, and enjoy what's on display.

Pencil Pets note cards

The images (below) are part of a line of note cards, known as Pencil Pets, which represent the pencil portraiture I do of pets.

I've presented here just a few of the more popular breeds of canines, though I'll bet many of you have your own favorite breed for me to highlight. I'm producing pencil artwork all the time and expect to post more and newer images soon. If you want to suggest a favorite breed, please drop me a line.

Bloodhound Greyhounds Basset Hound

German Shepherd Happy Mutt German Shepherd

Great Dane Labrador Mix Black Labrador

Teacup Chihuahua Lhasa Apso Hefty Chihuahua

Available breeds: Bloodhound, Greyhound, Basset Hound, German Shepherd, Happy Mutt, Great Dane,
Mixed Labrador, Black Labrador, Chihuahua, Lhasa Apso

Pencil Pets note cards, blank on the inside, are available individually, 10 to a box, or 25 to a box, with matching envelopes. Individual note cards or boxed cards are shipped via Fine Art America. If you wish to purchase cards individually or in quantity, click on this link or click on the FAA logo (below) and select your own Pencil Pets note cards from my growing gallery of canine friends. Note that if you click on the FAA logo, you will navigate away from this site.

All cards are 5" x 7" in size and are produced on digital offset printers using 110-lb. paper stock. Each card is coated with a UV protectant on the outside surface which produces a semi-gloss finish. The inside of each card has a matte white finish and can be customized with your own text message up to 500 characters. Cards can be ordered in a horizontal or vertical configuration, with a white background or black background.

Once you make your selection, the fine folks at Fine Art America will prepare your order to your specification and then take care of its packing, shipping, and billing. All note cards ship within 48 hours of placing your order!

Your pet in pencil

Do you have a family portrait? Is your pet in that portrait? You know your pet is part of the family, so offer your favorite family member the honor of a portrait in pencil. I can work from your favorite photo and turn it into a family treasure to enjoy. Scroll down for details on commissioning your own pet's portrait.

When I was growing up, these Chihuahuas (below) were the family dogs. They were a couple of cute characters and my family is still fond of them today, decades later, because we remember them with the portraits I drew.

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He had the makings of a show dog, and he'd dance on his hind legs for treats.

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This little guy was not a show dog. Built more like a bull, he was still a cutie. Since he's so cute, I've included him in the Pencil Pets collection of note cards.

I had the privilege to help take care of the handsome German Shepherd (pictured below). He was a sharp-witted, devoted, friendly canine pal. Sadly, he's gone now, but he's well remembered with a recent pencil illustration.

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Look familiar? This fine fellow is not only part of my Pencil Pets collection of note cards, but he's featured in my collection of science-fiction short stories as Guinness, a trusty canine companion and the only character in the book based on one who actually existed.

Your portrait in pencil

If you can honor your pet with a portrait in pencil, why not yourself or a loved one? As seen below, your own portrait can take shape on my drawing table as a fine likeness. I can work from a favorite photo of yourself, a family member, or a friend and turn it into a distinctive keepsake for you to admire or to present as a gift. Scroll down for details on commissioned art.

Cinema Celebrities

Also, I have a growing line of celebrity art, namely, stars from both stage and screen. Samples are shown below; more to be added soon. Like my wildlife art (detailed farther down), these are original drawings and sell at reasonable prices. Please send me an email at roy@roykaelin.com for prices on any of the original drawings included here.

Christina Hendricks Clint Eastwood Diane Kruger

Humphrey Bogart Marilyn Monroe Sean Connery

Marlene Dietrich Frank Sinatra Kelly Carlson

Patsy Cline Angelina Jolie Megan Fox

Or, if you prefer to order your own print of any of these originals, then click on the FAA logo (below) or go to this link at Fine Art America. They can process your order for a canvas print, a framed print, an art print, or an acrylic print of the original you select.

Different sizes of prints are available for each celebrity. Just like my Pencil Pets note cards, you can even customize and order your own celebrity note cards, individually, 10 to a box, or 25 to a box, when you visit Fine Art America from this website.

Second Nature

This is a serious line of original pencil drawings that displays some of my favorite furred and feathered animals, such as wolves, coyotes, bears, elk, deer, wild fowl, and birds on the hunt, a collection of wily predators and their natural prey.

These animals live among each other in the wild, wary of one another as natural adversaries, and they aren't without their brawling habits and quick defenses. It's nature's symbiosis: some know to fight; others take to flight.

Here, I feature them in close-up detail, just as nature presents them, to be studied and admired for their ability to track, to hunt, to live, to survive. This is just a sampling of drawings. More to come.

Buck Deer Fawn in the Grass Raccoon Pals

Pheasant in the Wild Wild Turkey Polar Bear Snooze

Sparrowhawk Roadrunner Eaglet

The Second Nature renderings are all original drawings, and are available for sale at prices less than my usual commissioned pencil art. They make great gifts. As I'm adding more samples in the coming days and weeks, you can begin to order prints and note cards from my Second Nature line of originals at this link for Fine Art America, or by clicking on the FAA logo.

Here are two examples (below) of how I prepare a wildlife drawing from a photo:

Bald Eagle

The eagle's head offers the best chance for detail and effect. The adjective "bald" doesn't mean its head lacks plumage; rather, its feathered head is white. Here, I render that head with medium pencil and cotton swabs.

This compact, matted drawing is for sale as a framed size of 9" x 9"
(or 228 mm x 228 mm). Send an email to roy@roykaelin.com to learn more.

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Here's the photo of the bald eagle, in full screech (at right), that I used to render in pencil.

Polar Bear

If an animal's fur is short, I prefer to stipple then blend with cotton swabs. I added just enough shading for contrast in the background.

This matted drawing is for sale as a framed size of 11" x 14"
(or 279 mm x 356 mm).

Send an email to roy@roykaelin.com to learn more.

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Here's the actual photo I took of the bear dozing in the Sun (at right).

Wildlife Whimsy

Who doesn't like baby animals? So why not feature them in their own line of drawings? This is the lighter side of nature, where our little furry friends meet and greet their adoring public. Little rabbits, spunky squirrels, and other furry creatures meet baby birds and fowl hatchlings. A good time is had by all.

If you have an idea in mind for some wildlife whimsy of your own, please send an email to roy@roykaelin.com and we can discuss its rendering in pencil.

Lil Kit and Bunny Jay Cock and Squirrel Kit Wolf Pup Howls for Two Bucks

Bunny Peeks In Greetings of the Season

In the meantime, you can find these pencil drawings as note cards at this link or by clicking (below) at the FAA logo. Any of these images make fun greeting cards to send for birthdays and holidays. Through Fine Art America, I even customize them myself with my own greetings and then send them to friends and acquaintances.

Galloping Graphite

In addition to pets and wildlife, I return to some of my favorite subects for portraiture, namely, horses. Work horses, quarter horses, race horses. They're splendid animals that hold a special fascination.

Frisky foals, precocious colts, moody mares, strong stallions all show their regal bearing and fine conformation in this series of pencil portraits of different breeds. They never cease to amaze; they deserve our admiration.

I can draw your horse so you can keep your favorite equine pal on display all the time. These pencil drawings are previous works, drawn for others, for you to see the level of detail I like to achieve. Drawings in this gallery are usually available as prints, and all are always available as note cards, so please visit Fine Art America at this link, or click on the FAA logo (above), and order your own, individually, 10 to a box, or 25 to a box. I'll add more drawings soon.

Coltish Characters Shire Mare and Filly Face of a Foal

Penciling the Past

In my artwork, I also delve into the past for subjects, such as founding fathers and presidential favorites, scientists and inventors, including famous instrumentation and historical inventions. These are the people and the machines that have helped to shape and influence our modern world. I can draw your favorite and do expect to be adding more images to this section of my online gallery. You can purchase the original art from me and the prints and notes cards at this link for Fine Art America.

Abraham Lincoln Albert Einstein Lord Rosse's Leviathan

Ordering your own pencil art

You can order available originals, samples of which I'm adding to this website from time to time, or, you can commission your very own original pencil art. Available originals have their own prices; commissioned artwork is priced by size and subject.

I draw in dry media, namely, graphite pencil and charcoal pencil, and occasionally in pen-and-ink, depending on the subject matter. I draw on acid-free, 96-pound weight paper, mostly recycled stock. Acid-free paper has a neutral pH, which means the paper will resist yellowing for years. Also, to protect the finished drawing, and at your request, I use a fixative that helps to block ultraviolet light and prevent yellowing.

All of my drawings come matted and framed, as this complements the look of your drawing and completes your order as a finished pencil illustration. I insist on museum-grade conservation board for mattes. This type of matte is acid-free, lignin-free, made from 100% cotton. It is a bright white board with an inner, black core, which accents your finished drawing.

I offer framed works of art, because it protects your drawing in transit and I can do so at a reasonable price. Your pencil illustration arrives complete and ready for display, whether it's an available original for sale or a commissioned drawing.

Most of my pencil drawings can fit frames of standard sizes, though custom-sized frames, if needed, are not generally any more expensive. Let me know what you wish. I seek to fulfill your request for the illustration; that's my top consideration.

Five easy steps to capture your image in pencil!

1 Please send me an email with your favorite photo.

Attach the one digital photo (color or black-and-white) of good quality, in focus, of the actual pose you like. I can do more than one subject per drawing but at a scaled price. Very detailed drawings require a separate quote. No group shots, please. The photo should be large and uncluttered, so that I can clearly see the subject. I can only draw what I can clearly discern. We can discuss the drawing's size and medium via email, if you wish.

2 Please let me know that you want for me to begin.

I do require a 50% down payment so that I can start your artwork. When I receive that via PayPal, then I start your drawing. Please allow two weeks to complete your drawing. I can likely complete it sooner, but I request that time as I may be working on other orders, and, I want to get your drawing done right.

3 Please let me know when you need your drawing.

Larger drawings require more time. Drawings of extreme detail can take longer. And for those drawings, we'd need to agree on a date of completion. If you have a particular date by which your drawing must be completed, please allow me adequate time to do it. Again, as I may be working on other orders, I still do expect to finish your drawing in a timely manner.

4 Please let me know that you approve.

I'll keep you up-to-date of my progress via email. For your inspection, I'll send a digital image of your illustration at its completion. Once approved, I have the drawing framed and then invoice the remaining 50%, plus sales tax and shipping, for the completed work.

5 Please let me send your finished drawing.

Once I receive payment, I arrange shipping and send the work to you. I use Priority Mail for small framed drawings and UPS for larger finished works. When it's sent, your drawing is boxed in bubble wrap or foam padding. All sales are final.

Let's get started!

As a guide to pricing, note that sizes shown (below) are the dimensions of the final drawing, matted and framed. Of course, the eventual size of the matte window will include any white space immediately around the drawing. Also listed is the final framed price for a single subject. More than one subject in the frame is scaled higher; the price depends on the level of detaill.

So, if you'd like for me to do a drawing, choose your frame size, then click on one of the PayPal buttons (which shows full prices) to initiate a down payment for your portrait. For larger works, please contact me at roy@roykaelin.com for terms.

New, lower prices! All prices include framing!

Prices listed for commisioned pencil artwork do not include Illinois state tax and shipping.

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Frame size Full framed price *

8" x 10" (or 9" x 9") $130

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11" x 14" (or 12" x 12") $250

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16" x 20" (or 18" x 18") $350

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* A framed drawing includes black frame made of wood, white matte with black core, and regular glass.

And now, you can order my photos!

Though I specialize in pencil, I also take photographs. And this makes sense, since I often use the photos I take for the drawings I make. I've taken photos for years and even had my own darkroom for film photography, but that's in the past. More recently, it's all digital all the time, which makes things even more fun for taking pictures. Here's a slideshow of samples:

Check out my growing gallery of digital imagery on a variety of subjects. Click this link or click on the FAA logo (below) to get to my photo art with Fine Art America, where you can order photographic note cards and prints, just like my pencil drawings.

And, please don't forget: For a number of these photos, you can find a selection of them reproduced as tasteful gifts and accessories at my online store, hosted by Zazzle. Check out the growing array of fun items for all occasions.

By the way, I've chosen this way, my own website, to present my art to you. Would you like to do the same for yourself? Would you like a greater audience for your own art? If so, then click on the box (below) and get started with selling your own art!