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Today’s work on JR’s left eye. And what it took to get this fine detail..... 1 A scan of the artwork after I finished today’s work on the left eye. Prismacolor pencil on “Felt Grey” Canson Mi-Teintes paper 2 Yesterday I shared a post explaining how AI was used to sharpen Diane’s blurry photo so I could see crisp detail. That’s the main reference pic you see on my monitor. In a row above it are several of Diane’s other photos showing JR’s eyes. Those are real-life photos of JR

AI is a very controversial subject among artists. It evokes strong reactions. My position as a professional artist with more than 40 years experience is that AI is a tool, like any other tool, that can be used - deliberately and mindfully - in the creation of original art. 1 I'm working on a colored pencil portrait of a Doberman named “JR”. Finding the right reference photo(s) to use for a portrait is a journey. That, and designing the composition for the piece, can take as l

Starting a portrait of a handsome Doberman named JR! This was commissioned by Diane and Michael Schurman as their anniversary gift to themselves. Diane wrote: “Maura Reilly picked us for JR because she knew we always took the more ‘challenging’ dogs from rescues and rehoming situations and wanted us to experience one with a lovely temperament. What a PERFECT dog!!! I will go into more detail later in the process but suffice it to say he is INCREDIBLE in EVERY way.” 1 Ready t

Cooper is a Vizsla, a Hungarian hunting breed, Here's what Brandon and Rina told me about Cooper before I started on his portrait: BRANDON “Cooper loved being outdoors and was happiest out in nature getting dirty and playing hard. He loved hikes, lakes and eventually came around to the ocean. He'd be able to go for hours and hours when he was in his element and good health. No amount of time in the water or on trail was ever enough. He enjoyed stalking and hunting everything

With portraits it’s important to get every little nuance accurate, so that person looks like themself. But no face is perfect and sometimes there are little flaws in the reference photo that does not make them look their best. It’s an art in itself to know what to edit in a portrait. I once did a portrait of a woman, and her husband asked me to remove the lines on her neck that I had included. “Let’s be kind”, he said. Learning from that experience, when I did a portrait of

Some of the challenges a portrait artist has to solve: “hair whirls” on Cooper’s chest, and seeing what’s under a bow-tie. 1 When I began working with Rina and Brandon, I sent several layouts for Cooper’s head study portrait (made with Photoshop) from 3 favorite photos. This was the one they chose. Brandon asked that I remove the bow-tie, and make the fade-out at the bottom of the neck lower to include Cooper’s unique “hair whirls”. I’ll tell you about the hair whirls in my

The “soundtrack” to a portrait…. Yesterday I shared how I read the client’s words about their loved one before I start on the eyes. Another thing that helps me connect with the loved one is the music I listen to in the studio.. Having the right music playing is very important while I’m working, the “soundtrack” to that individual, as it were. On Apple Music I have thousands of songs in a variety of custom playlists I’ve created. I choose the playlist that seems to fit the es

I always ask my portrait clients to tell me about their loved one. The day I work on the eyes in a portrait, I start out by reading what they wrote. Before I started working on Cooper today, I read what Brandon and Rina wrote about him. I hold that in my attention - in my mind and heart - as I’m working and try to get the essence of him in his face, especially the eyes. Below is what they shared about Cooper… From Brandon: “Cooper loved being outdoors and was happiest out in

This portrait was commissioned by Rina Carrillo after the loss of Cooper, her partner Brandon Hedrick’s dog. When Rina contacted me she wrote: “Honestly, we thought we had months left with him too. It just came so suddenly :( He was a unicorn of a dog, and thankfully has left an impression on us all that we will never forget.” 1 A scan of my outline drawing, done with colored pencils on “Flannel Grey” paper. This initial line drawing is the “skeleton” of the artwork, I’ll th

October 1 I'm starting on a portrait of "Annie" for Carolyn, Gloria, and Tammy. This is the 10th portrait I have done for them over the past 28 years. The pencil colors for her white and cream-colored coat, and the pink inside her ears: Once again I'm letting my paper color do the work. A white coat is so easy to do on grey paper. Some light-colored pencil strokes for the hairs.…and the shadows between the hairs make themselves. 🎨 Prismacolor pencil on “Felt Grey” Canson Mi-

Titan's portrait is finished. Here’s what Alicia told me about this amazing, one-of-a-kind Doberman: “A funny story I like to tell and is remembered by many is Titan’s first container search at a scentwork trial at Durham Kennel Club. When he walked into the building for the first time and stepped into the ring, he completely ignored the two neat rows of white boxes and made a beeline for the wall of mirrors. After tilting his head this way and that, he began admiring the inc

Here’s a problem that crops up with every single portrait. When I have finished a portrait to the best of my ability, I send a high-resolution jpg of it to the client so they can zoom in and check details. I ask if there is anything that needs to be adjusted. Sometimes a client requests a small change like darkening under the chin or remove a spot that I thought was part of the dog’s coat but was a piece of dirt in the photo. The client is usually right-on, the changes improv

Detail of a work-in-progress I shared in 2019…. a portrait of Marlaina B. and her beloved blue Doberman, Sky. Sky’s registered name was CH. Kettle Cove Lanikai Blue Sky. The theme of the litter was Hawaiian Islands. I wanted to capture the feeling of Sky and Marlaina on a tropical Hawaiian beach. (The reference photo was taken at a busy marina in San Diego, CA.) I chose this “Cream” Canson paper because it is the color of sunlight. The mediums I’m using - watercolor and colo

Before I could finalize Titan's portrait, there was another decision the client had to make. Alicia had ordered a 16 x 20 portrait. I always work on a full sheet of Canson paper, which is 20 x 26 inches, and trim it down at the end. I marked out the edges of the 16 x 20 when I drew the initial line drawing on a sheet of “Sky Grey” Canson paper. Then I ended up working out to the edges of the paper with the folds of fabric. I knew I was going well outside the 16 x 20 size, bu

Even when a portrait is “finished” there are changes to be made. An artist may think a portrait is finished when they complete the depiction….but is it? When I finished Titan’s portrait I stood back and looked at it taped up on the wall from several feet away. That’s always the last step when I complete a portrait. Sometimes I see things that need a little adjustment. Usually that’s just a few additonal pencil strokes…a few minutes work. But this time I spent a couple more da

After I finished Titan’s paws, I drew the toy. The well-loved tug toy. Then I finished the shadows under the toy and paws on the fabric. Whenever a figure is resting on a surface in art, there will always be a shadow that "connects" them to the surface. Otherwise it will look like they are "pasted on" the surface, or sometimes floating above it. I could have cleaned up the toy, but I thought it would be better to show that it was well-loved....yet another indication of the p

Completing Titan’s paws… Drawing a hand or paw is as complex and detailed as the features of a face, in my opinion. Upper pic - Going around the edges, building all the edge colors, before filling in all those weird abstract shapes that make up the paw and wrist. FOR ARTISTS: I fill those containing edge colors of the paw first, so I can establish the values (lightness-darkness) of the paw colors against that blue-grey paper. Then work inward, filling in the abstract shapes o

After I finished the collar I decided to do Titan’s paws next, instead of working my way down his chest. But first I needed to do the blanket. Here’s why: I rendered the fabric in a really loose way, as you see. I wanted to do that with fast, energetic pencil strokes - big sweeping strokes using the whole flat of the pencil core for the broadest strokes possible. I didn’t want to complete the paws first, in case those wild strokes overlapped the paws and I needed to erase the

Titan’s portrait is coming along. I added a favorite collar from a different photo Alicia sent. More stories from Alicia about this funny, joyful boy are below. They explain what you see in Titan's big happy smile. Alicia wrote: “Titan rarely took anything seriously, he was goofy, cheerful, and just a bit mischievous. I used to joke that he was too light‑hearted to stay down for long. He loved being the center of attention and, if he were human, he would have been the class

Small nuances in the expression are what make a facial expression and capture character. I know that Titan is a funny dog, who loves to make people laugh. The line in the middle of this tongue is not a straight line. Anybody who knows dogs really well can see that Titan is being as happy and silly as he can be. You can see it in the way he is holding his tongue. 1 I created the line in the center of Titan's tongue with four different colors. 2 This is the reference photo I’m