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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

Here are "black Doberman" and "red Doberman" versions of my Valentine to you. ❤️  Free for my followers to share. If you are on Facebook, you can share both versions from my FACEBOOK page . 🎨  This artwork was created from an original pen-and-ink drawing, hand-colored in Photoshop. Original artwork ©Kevin Roeckl

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

In this pic you can really see the difference between the tightly-detailed pencilwork of the paw, and the loose pencilwork of the fabric. For the fabric I'm making use of the blue paper. In Titan’s rust areas I’m covering the blue paper.  For Titan’s paw I completely cover the tooth of the paper. In the fabric I make use of the tooth: those tiny “hills and valleys” of the paper texture that show through the pencil pigment (see closeup in next pic). In his paw I don’t want any

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

I often hear Colored Pencil artists say they won't use Prismacolor pencils because they are not lightfast. But that’s not true. Prismacolors have lightfast ratings 1 through 5. 1 is “Excellent”, 2 is “Very Good”, 3 is “Good”. That compares to other premium colored pencil brands that are known to be lightfast. 4 and 5 are “Fair” and “Poor”. Some artists just remove those colors from their Prismacolor collection. Still, Prismacolor makes 150 colors, more than other premium bran

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

You may remember my triple portrait of the talented “Scout” that I finished in October... I suggested to Annette having me create a custom Christmas card from Scout’s portrait, and she agreed. Using Photoshop I added Holiday elements to each of the 3 depictions of Scout in the portrait. I sent Annette several variations to choose from, pointing out that the design was rather busy. But it was so festive and fun neither of us could resist! Annette wrote: “I am so pleased with m

If you've been following my portrait of Annie.… after the portrait was finished the clients asked me to create a custom Christmas card from Annie's portrait by combining it with the portrait of Briscoe (Border Collie) that I did for them last year. I combined them and customized it in Photoshop by changing Annie's "princess collar" to holiday colors, and added the Santa hat on Briscoe. It made a fun Holiday card! I thought you’d enjoy seeing it. 🎨 Both portraits were created

One of the great things about doing portraits is getting to know the wonderful dogs my clients love. Annie is one of those. I have done 10 portraits for these clients, Carolyn, Gloria, and Tammy. Each of the three women shared more with me about Annie, in individual emails, then they have with any of the other dogs that have graced their lives. Below the portrait is what they told me about Annie. From Carolyn: “Annie is a small Weston terrier mix of some sort. She was origina

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