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
Zelda portrait in progress 5 - Keeping it correct
Continuing to build Zelda’s musculature and the shapes of her body, the muscles and bone — her structure. A correct Doberman should look...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 20, 20251 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 4 - About pencil pressure...
Lots of colored pencil artists believe it’s necessary to build up lots of layers with light pressure to achieve a solid color. I don’t...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 17, 20252 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 3 - Attaching the muscles
Putting in Zelda's musculature. This has to be exactly precise to capture her structure…her beautifully correct structure. By working in...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 15, 20252 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 2 - All the colors
Continuing work on Zelda. Photo taken in the studio today. These are all the greys, black, brown, and blue pencils I’m using for her...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 14, 20251 min read
Zelda portrait in progress 1 - Decisions to be made
I’m starting a portrait of Zelda, a Top Twenty Doberman. Commissioned by Doberman breeder Susan R. as a gift to Zelda's owner Diane. ...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 11, 20252 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress - start to finish
August 20 The last portrait I shared (a dog in a forest scene) was very complex. This one will be straightforward: a double Head Study...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 19, 202433 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait finished!
The portrait of Cheri and Larry is finally finished. A special portrait for a special friend who has played an important part in my...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 11, 20242 min read
