Raven portrait in progress 4 - The importance of landmarks
1 Raven's forehead and around the eye-socket on the left side are finished. I’ve put in Raven’s center white stripe down his nose as a...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 32 min read
Two artist friends
Yesterday I had a debate on my Facebook page with Michael Joseph about whether copying a reference photo but changing things...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 21 min read
Happy Summer Solstice!
Prismacolor pencil on “Light Blue” Canson paper. In this piece I used the paper color as the primary color for the artwork. The sky is...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 211 min read
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 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
"Summer Sky" - why I chose tan paper for a blue sky
Last Sunday I shared this as a “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting on social media. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the image on the full sheet of...
Kevin Roeckl
May 172 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
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 21 - Small changes, big difference
A finished portrait is not always perfect. It’s not unusual for a client to ask that something about a portrait be fixed. Usually just a...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 6, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 20 - A slogan worn with pride
It was important to Cheri to have this shirt-patch included on Larry’s shirt. When you read Cheri’s words you’ll understand why. From...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 13, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 19 - Something small but meaningful
A portrait artist can often include things that are deeply meaningful to the client, which are not there in the reference photo. There...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 9, 20243 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 18 - Fixed it!
In my previous post I shared what a mess I made of the heart-shaped vignette. (The watercolor-wash-gone-wrong.) I’ve been working on it...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 7, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 17 - Oops....
Continuing “Cheri and Larry”…. This album shows how I used watercolor wash to add the big chunks of color for their t-shirts and...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 4, 20245 min read
Autumn - "Autumn Angel"
🍁 In honor of Fall, my favorite season, I’m sharing autumn artworks from my 40-year career. “Autumn Angel”.... the angel that spreads...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 31, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 16 - Emerging from the grey...
Both heads finished now. Whew! The hard part is done. Cheri wrote: “With this glorious work of art of us - with his eyes shining the way...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 26, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 15 - That smile
Larry’s smile finished. The words Cheri wrote about it are below the picture. Larry's beard color (“5 o'clock shadow”) is very close to...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 23, 20242 min read
Autumn - "Girl with Maple Leaves"
🍁 To celebrate Fall, I’m sharing autumn artworks from my 40-year career. Last week I shared my artwork of a Doberman splashing through a...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 19, 20241 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 14 - Blending smooth skin
Working on Larry’s bottom lip: These three pictures show how I add the patches of color for his skin and lip. Then I blend them together...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 18, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 13 - Capturing the person
I sent this in-progress picture to Cheri and wrote, “When I was working on Larry's eyes I tried to capture his sense of humor. I'm glad...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 10, 20242 min read
Cheri and Larry portrait in progress 12 - Oh those blue eyes
Capturing Larry’s blue eyes is the most critical part of this portrait. When we were discussing the layout of the portrait, Cheri wrote: ...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 9, 20242 min read
