

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


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


Zelda portrait in progress - start to finish
January 10 I’m starting a portrait of Zelda, a Top Twenty Doberman. Commissioned by Doberman breeder Susan R. as a gift to Zelda's owner...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 519 min read


Rayne portrait in progress - The importance of paper color
In 2017 I created this complex portrait of “Rayne”, the 5th portrait I’ve done for Patti Fetzer after each of her beloved Dobermans...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 42 min read


Portrait of Breeze
I want to share this sweet portrait of “Breeze” I created in the late 1990’s. This is an example of a simple background scene being...
Kevin Roeckl
Mar 311 min read


Zelda portrait finished!
I’m often amazed at the eloquence with which my client writes about their loved one. Diane’s words helped me capture Zelda’s strong and...
Kevin Roeckl
Mar 185 min read


Zelda portrait in progress 11 - one little tweak...
Three posts ago I described how I exaggerated the highlights on top of Zelda’s nose in order to make it stand out from the green...
Kevin Roeckl
Mar 182 min read


Zelda portrait in progress 10 - How to make a grassy lawn
The figure of Zelda is finished and now I’m putting in the grass around her feet. 1 Starting to fill in the grass.... 2 These are all...
Kevin Roeckl
Mar 134 min read


Zelda portrait in progress 9 - Fire in her eyes
Fire in her eyes, and the music I listen to in the studio, the “playlist to her soul”. (Read the captions) These 5 pics show how I...
Kevin Roeckl
Mar 74 min read