Raven portrait in progress 5 - The importance of multiple reference photos
Raven has such a beautifully symmetrical face, and I have been portraying him symmetrical – with a lot of attention on getting that...
Kevin Roeckl
2 days ago2 min read
Raven portrait in progress 4 - The importance of landmarks
1 Raven's forehead and around the eye-socket on the left side are finished. I’ve put in Raven’s center white stripe down his nose as a...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 32 min read
Two artist friends
Yesterday I had a debate on my Facebook page with Michael Joseph about whether copying a reference photo but changing things...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 21 min read
Raven portrait in progress 3 - The centerline
An artist should always improve upon their reference photo. Artists: Don't be a slave to what you see in your reference photo. I've...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 23 min read
Raven portrait in progress 1 - Oh those big puppy ears!
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 of what...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 231 min read
Happy Summer Solstice!
Prismacolor pencil on “Light Blue” Canson paper. In this piece I used the paper color as the primary color for the artwork. The sky is...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 211 min read
Wishes portrait finished!
When you read Alicia’s words about Wishes you’ll understand why this quiet, watchful pose was so deeply meaningful: “Dobermans are...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 182 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 11 - Big dark shapes
The lighting from the window on Wishes’ chest is finished. And her feet and forearm are finished. Now I have a lot of big dark shapes...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 121 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 10 - The challenges continue
I thought when I finished Wishes' head the rest would be easy. But the values in this piece are going to challenge me all the way...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 93 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 9 - The rhinestone collar
Wishes’ green rhinestone collar finished. The captions tell how it came about. It was not in the original reference photo. 1 In her photo...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 53 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 8 - A happy ear
I’m very happy with how Wishes’ ear turned out. 1 If you've been following my “swatches map” you will recognize the swatches-map for...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 42 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 7 - The heart dog
Here is a post about how much a portrait of a loved one can mean. I emailed Alicia asking if she had gotten the 5 “in-progress pics” I...
Kevin Roeckl
May 311 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 6 - Using my "swatches map"
I had to create a “swatches map” to understand those tricky and deceptive values in Wishes’ face. I first showed you my swatches-map in...
Kevin Roeckl
May 284 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 5 - A precarious challenge
In previous posts I talked about the challenge of the values in this difficult piece. In my last one I shared why capturing the...
Kevin Roeckl
May 205 min read
Father's Day card to print and color
I’ve created a free download of my Father's Day card you can print and color yourself! ⭐️ It includes a list of the pencil colors,...
Kevin Roeckl
May 201 min read
"Summer Sky" - why I chose tan paper for a blue sky
Last Sunday I shared this as a “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting on social media. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the image on the full sheet of...
Kevin Roeckl
May 172 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 4 - The passion behind the portrait
Wishes’ eye is finished. Wishes whole heart and soul was about watchfulness. All of that is captured in her eye. Below is part of what...
Kevin Roeckl
May 152 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 3 - Mood lighting
This is how the portrait looks now. Wishes begins to emerge from the dark grey paper. The values (how light or dark a color is) have to...
Kevin Roeckl
May 91 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 2 - Continuing those tricky values
In my first post I explained why the values (how light or dark a color is) in this portrait are so difficult. The values will continue...
Kevin Roeckl
May 64 min read
Wishes portrait in progress 1 - A very challenging piece
Wishes' portrait will be a challenging artwork. It’s not a complex piece, but it is a challenging one because of the values. (How light...
Kevin Roeckl
May 18 min read
