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 1, 20258 min read
Captain Jack portrait finished!
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...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 28, 20253 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 8 - Making biscuits!
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...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 23, 20252 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 7 - A biscuit story
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...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 21, 20251 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 6 - Whisker info
Captain Jack’s forehead and right ear finished. Now working on the intricate detail of his white muzzle and nose. Next, the biscuit....
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 18, 20251 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 5 - Sweet shining eyes
Captain Jack’s right eye is finished. My last post showed the left eye finished, and described the colors and reflections in an eye that...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 16, 20252 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 4 - A window in the eye
You can see all kinds of shapes in the lighting and reflections in an eye. Capturing them accurately is what makes an eye look real. In...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 15, 20252 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 3
Left eye finished. His bright, cheerful eye. Sindy cried when I sent her this pic. Captain Jack was her best friend for 16 years and...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 14, 20251 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 2 - A limited palette so far
Working on Captain Jack’s ear. This portrait will be mostly in black, white, and various greys. Except for the tan biscuit he’s holding,...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 11, 20251 min read
Captain Jack portrait in progress 1 - Initial outlines
Starting a portrait of Captain Jack, a black and white Pomeranian, for Sindy B. This shows the detailed outlines I start with. In...
Kevin Roeckl
Apr 9, 20251 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 5, 202519 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 4, 20252 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 30, 20251 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 18, 20255 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 18, 20252 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 13, 20254 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 7, 20254 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 8 - Glitches with studio time...
As I worked my way forward on Zelda’s body to her shoulders, I wanted to do her head next. Her ears are finished, which was my first day...
Kevin Roeckl
Feb 28, 20251 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 7 - Back after a long break
Resuming work on Zelda, the portrait of the Top Twenty show Doberman, after a VERY long break for health issues. Now working on her...
Kevin Roeckl
Feb 20, 20251 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 6 - First the ears...
When I shared this in-progress picture with Diane today I wrote: “I started working on Zelda’s head today. I re-read what you wrote about...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 23, 20251 min read
