"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
4 days ago2 min read
2 views
Wishes portrait in progress 3 - Mood lighting
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...
Kevin Roeckl
May 91 min read
3 views
Wishes portrait in progress 2 - Continuing those tricky values
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...
Kevin Roeckl
May 64 min read
5 views
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 18 min read
9 views
Autumn - "Lakey"
🍁 In honor of Fall, I’m sharing autumn artworks from my 40-year career. This is a commissioned portrait of Lakey. Of course it made...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 25, 20241 min read
5 views
Lacy portrait in progress - start to finish
October 18 Started a new portrait of Lacy for Betty K. Here are 8 possible rough-draft layouts. Which is your favorite? Lacy loved the...
Kevin Roeckl
Jan 10, 202411 min read
61 views
Lacy portrait finished!
I finished the memorial "double portrait" of Lacy for Betty K. Lacy lived in Tennessee with Betty near the Smoky Mountains, where they...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 19, 20231 min read
11 views
Lacy portrait in progress 16 - The last corner
Getting down to the wire on Lacy's portrait. Working on the last rocks on the shoreline. (Lower right corner of the artwork.) I’ve...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 14, 20231 min read
3 views
Lacy portrait in progress 15 - The rocks are killin' me
Have spent several days working on the rocks and pebbles at the bottom of Lacy's portrait. And adding the water lapping at the edge of...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 12, 20231 min read
12 views
Lacy portrait in progress 14 - A hidden surprise
Now you can see the surprise hidden in Lacy‘s reflection! Betty requested that a dragonfly be included somewhere in the artwork. (see...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 7, 20231 min read
5 views
Lacy portrait in progress 13
I finished the neck of Lacy’s head study, fading downward into the river. I had to put the ripples around and “behind” it before I could...
Kevin Roeckl
Dec 6, 20231 min read
5 views
Lacy portrait in progress 11 - the second Lacy...
I'm working on the “second Lacy”, standing in the river (which she loved) in this double-portrait of Lacy, a red Doberman. You can see...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 22, 20231 min read
5 views
Lacy portrait in progress 10
I’ve added ripples on the upper part of the water…the reflection of the island and clouds. Now I’m starting on the second Lacy.... Double...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 18, 20231 min read
11 views
Lacy portrait in progress 8 - More than just grey
It was a little trickier than I thought to do the “single-color” head study. I planned it as being in shades of grey, for which I’d use 5...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 14, 20231 min read
3 views
Lacy portrait in progress 7 - Lacy in the sky
Now I’m starting on Lacy’s head in the beautiful sky. This shows part of the whole portrait, which is a double portrait with Lacy...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 11, 20231 min read
3 views
Lacy portrait in progress 6 - Important clouds
The clouds are finished. They are a very important part of this piece. An important part of what makes the colors and the scene. A...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 9, 20231 min read
4 views
Lacy portrait in progress 5 - What a difference colored pencil makes!
After the underpainting was done and all the ripples pressed out of the paper, I'm now working with colored pencil for the rest of the...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 3, 20231 min read
3 views
Lacy portrait in progress 4 - A challenge on grey
I’ve finished the underpainting on Lacy’s portrait. The Canson paper I chose for this artwork is called “Pearl”, a soft warm grey. My...
Kevin Roeckl
Nov 1, 20232 min read
7 views
Baxter portrait in progress - start to finish
September 1 I started a new portrait of Baxter, who is 12 years old. Some interesting facts about Baxter: ❤️ His dad Brian has a...
Kevin Roeckl
Oct 14, 20236 min read
14 views
Odie portrait in progress - start to finish
July 8 My next portrait is Odin (“Odie man”) for Robin B. As Robin was gathering photos and sending them to me, she kept saying, “His...
Kevin Roeckl
Sep 28, 202311 min read
9 views