BLOG

Portrait of Scout continued from PART ONE   Scout portrait in progress 9   I’m not going to add the colored pencil grass details around the Frisbee figure until I finish the barn-hunt figure. The backgrounds of those two scenes - straw and grass - will have to fade/blend together at the edges. Since the portrayals of Scout are the most important thing, I want to finish the barn hunt figure first. Then create both the straw and grass backgrounds around the two action figures.

July 29 I'm starting a triple portrait of Border collie “Scout”. The following pictures show how I go about designing a complex portrait with multiple depictions of the individual….from the 60 photos of Scout that Annette sent to me.  Scout is a registered Therapy Dog, and also does barn hunt and is a dedicated Frisbee-fetcher.  1 This is my outline drawing on a sheet of “Flannel Grey” Canson paper. It took 11 days of working with Annette on a layout design, to get to the poi

Scout's triple portrait is finished. Below is what Annette wrote about her partnership with this amazingly accomplished Border Collie. Prismacolor pencil and acrylic wash on “Flannel Grey” Canson Mi-Teintes paper 20 x 26 inches. Annette wrote: “Scout has been an incredible addition to my life. I met him as a 5 year old, recently retired from a busy working life as a goose hazer protecting workers from angry geese. I have had 3 previous Border Collies but Scout has expanded my

When I was adding the colored pencil to connect these two scenes, fading the straw of the barn-hunt scene into the grass of the Frisbee scene, it was necessary to see the entire composition as a whole. So when I finished adding the straw in a way that felt like it looked good, to check whether it needed anything more I taped the artwork up on the wall of my studio, and stood back to see what the artwork would look like as the client would view it in their home.  I saw then th

This album shows my technique for making straw in a scene. A whole lot of it. 1 In my last post, I had finished the Frisbee scene, and put in a bit of the straw detail around Scout’s barn-hunt figure on the gold underpainting. It looked like this:  Next I have a whole lot of straw to fill in. If you read my post about barn hunt, you know that Scout is searching for rats hidden among straw. There will be a tunnel entrance below and in front of his face. That’s where you see th

The two action figures in Scout’s triple portrait are finished, and now I have a decision to make: Should I finish the grass around the Frisbee figure first, or the straw around the barn hunt figure?  Pic 1 explains why that decision was important, and the rest of the pics show how I resolved it.  1 At this point the backgrounds are just flat color, no detail. You may remember I masked off the two action figures so I could do Scout’s black-and-white coat with colored pencils

Scout’s head in the barn hunt pose was slow going because it was so important to get his expression just right. I had enough time and energy left the day I finished his face to start putting in the straw around the figure. That goes much more quickly. It’s not necessary to be precise to what is in the reference photo. Now I have a decision to make. Should I fill in the grass next, or the straw…. I will finally be working with colored pencils on my underpainting. You may remem

The expression on Scout’s face will make-or-break the barn hunt pose, the third figure in a triple portrait of Scout. 1 Doing Scout’s forehead. His smooth head that makes you want to kiss it.  The little creases in his white blaze on his forehead are extremely important: tiny details but they show his intense concentration. 2 It took me a while to do those shapes in his white blaze. Very slow and painstaking like doing an eye, with a glance at the reference photo every couple

In my previous post I described how I used the grey paper color, which I had masked off when I made the green and gold underpainting, to give me the right base color for Scout’s black and white coat.  Check out how I use that for Scout’s front leg in this post.  And how I’m starting to utilize the gold underpainting now to make the straw. 1 It took quite a while to do all of Scout’s black coat on his body. There are more pencil colors in a Border collie’s black coat than you

I’m working on Scout's barn-hunt figure, the third depiction of Scout in this triple portrait. In these pics you can see why I masked off the figures to protect the grey paper when I made the underpainting for the grass and straw backgrounds (green, and gold/brown). I wanted to utilize that grey paper in creating Scout’s coat in all three figures.  1 - Starting with Scout’s beautiful big fluffy tail! 2 Scout’s black coat is made up of many shades of grey….very little actual b

I’m not going to add the colored pencil grass details around the Frisbee figure until I finish the barn-hunt figure. The backgrounds of those two scenes - straw and grass - will have to blend together at the edges. Since the portrayals of Scout are the most important thing, I want to finish the barn hunt figure first. Then create both the straw and grass backgrounds around the two action figures. Any background scene I put in has to enhance the figures, not the other way arou

Continuing Scout’s triple portrait. I’ve moved on to the second figure, an action pose - Scout running fast with his Frisbee. This one poses a dilemma: a blurry reference photo. Most people know me for my highly detailed, realistic style. I solved the challenge of using a reference photo that doesn't show any detail, by working in a different, more impressionistic style. The close-up of the pencil strokes in Pic 4 shows what I mean. A professional artist friend of mine often

How I made the underpainting for Scout’s portrait. I decided to do the underpainting after I completed Scout’s head-study with colored...

Almost finished with Scout’s head. I am not going to do any of his neck and shoulders until I complete the two action poses - Frisbee,...

This is my favorite “in progress” pic so far, with Scout's shiny black nose popping out of the paper! There are lots of detailed shapes...

How I made an eye... 1 I usually start an eyeball by creating the eye structures that are around it - eyebrow, corner of eye, eyelids,...

The first day’s colored pencil work on Scout’s head study. Today I worked on his ear and started across the top of his head. Tomorrow I...

I'm starting a triple portrait of a Border collie, “Scout”. This album show how I go about designing a complex portrait with multiple...

June 20 I’m starting a new portrait, of Raven. This is the 4th Border Collie portrait I’ve done for Cathy Nearman. Soon I’ll share more...

The portrait arrived in Hawaii! Handsome Raven, 10 years old, with his portrait not yet opened, along with “little sister” Wynter, the...