BLOG

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...

1 Working on Raven’s eyes - so important in a portrait. It’s particularly important to get the colors and values accurate in this one,...

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...

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...

You remember Captain Jack, whose portrait I shared in April. Sindy sent me photos of the portrait framed. A set of notecards is included...

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...

Captain Jack, best friend of Sindy B. for 16 years. When Sindy first contacted me about a portrait, she told me Captain Jack had been...

How I chose the colors for Captain Jack’s biscuit. There is no specific “biscuit” color in Prismacolor pencils.  1 The pencil colors I’m...

This is how the portrait looks now. Captain Jack’s face is finished. Next, the biscuit. There is a story about why holding that biscuit...