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This is the incredible story, both heartbreaking and heartwarming, that Alicia told me about the reference photo we’re using for Titan’s portrait. It’s the reason we switched direction with how to capture the essence of him.  1 This is Titan’s portrait in progress. There’s a reason for the decision to use this particular image. Titan passed away unexpectedly last year while I was starting on a memorial portrait of Wishes for Alicia. Alicia and husband Joe considered adding Ti

Working on a portrait of Titan for Alicia McCarthy. You may remember when I worked on the beautiful memorial portrait of Wishes for Alicia last year. While we were still in the beginning design stages, Titan passed away unexpectedly. For a while Alicia asked me to switch direction and we began looking for photos to include Titan in the same portrait. But Alicia and Joe made the decision that Titan deserved his own portrait. His personality is completely different than the sof

I'm starting a new portrait, of Titan for Alicia McCarthy. This portrait has a very touching story to it. I’ll share that with you soon.  Titan’s portrait will be more than just a head study, as you will see. I’m working on “Sky Grey” Canson paper. A beautiful paper that has little flecks and fibers in it. I like using that for a portrait on a plain-color background, it lends interest to an otherwise plain, flat background color.  ❤️  Portrait of “Titan”, 16 x 20 inches. Comm

It's always a fun surprise when I see my own art pop up unexpectedly. I received a notecard from my long time Doberman friend Gabi. It was this pen-and-ink portrait notecard of her boy Rexi that I drew back in the late 1990's or early 2000's.  I’m a Doberman artist, recognized across the U.S. and Canada for my Doberman art since 1991. I work mostly in full color, but throughout the 1990’s I created many Doberman pen-and-inks that were reproduced on apparel, notecards, station

Looking for an affordable gift for all the dog lovers on your Holiday shopping list? Overflowing with cute and charming puppies.... Doberman Puppies Coloring Book for children or adults who love to color! 24 Coloring pages of delightful Doberman puppies, from original artwork by Kevin Roeckl. 🎁  Creative line-drawings and their captions teach children about puppies and what their puppy needs to be happy, healthy, and well-behaved. 🎁  Adults will enjoy coloring these sweet a

A black-and-tan adult Doberman and a red Dobe puppy exchanging a gift is a great way to let friends and family know you’re thinking of them this Holiday season. Doberman owners and enthusiasts, you can let your light shine with true Holiday spirit! The warm and loving inscription inside the card lets your loved ones know you care.  Verse inside card: ABOUT THE ART “Starting in the early 1990’s I designed a Doberman Holiday card each year for my own use, and released it for sa

Wishes' portrait will be a challenging artwork. It’s not a complex piece, but it is a challenging one because of the values. (Value = how...

When you read Alicia’s words about Wishes you’ll understand why this quiet, watchful pose was so deeply meaningful: “Dobermans are...

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...

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...

Wishes’ green rhinestone collar finished. The captions tell how it came about. It was not in the original reference photo. 1 In her photo...

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...

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...

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...

In previous posts I talked about the challenge of the values in this difficult piece. In my last one I shared why capturing the...

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, including colors for red, fawn, and blue Dobermans. ⭐️  9-page tutorial for coloring it, and more.  For all the fathers in your life. Gather your colored pencils and get started now, Father's Day is only 3 weeks away. (June 15) 🎨  Older kids can color this too. This is my first “Coloring page” download. Hopefully the first of many! Let me know

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...

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...

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...

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...