Parker and Layla
A memory from 2013.... "Parker and Layla" portrait in progress. Many fans of my pet portraits don't know that I do humans too. I started...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 30, 20231 min read
Odie portrait finished!
When Robin was sharing photos of Odie with me for the portrait, she kept saying, “His eyes melt me” and “His face melts my heart”. I...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 15, 20233 min read
Odie portrait in progress 13 - a special place
Beach-grass and path finished. When we were designing the portrait and thinking about the background, Robin told me that she and her...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 12, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 12 - beach grass & sugar sand
I’m coming into the homestretch now. All that’s left to do is the beach grass and the path. Yesterday I shared a post showing how I made...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 11, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 11 - Thousands of pencil strokes
Odie’s body is finished. It took thousands of pencil strokes to do all the hairs of a Doberman coat on this large area of his neck,...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 10, 20232 min read
Odie portrait in progress 10 - What color is a nose?
A red Doberman’s nose is an interesting color. Is it grey? Mauve? Brown? Actually it’s all of those…and more. See if you can pick out...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 7, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 9
Making Odie’s pink tongue with colored pencils. Prismacolor pencil over watercolor underpainting, on ivory Canson paper. See the first...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 5, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 8 - The nose knows
Odie’s nose is finished. Today I’m working on the mouth. The swatches show some of the pencil colors I’m using, on a scrap of the same...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 4, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 7 - "The windows to the soul"
After two days of work I finished Odie’s eyes. That took a lot of concentration. I’m happy with it so far. I think I captured his sweet...
Kevin Roeckl
Aug 2, 20233 min read
Odie portrait in progress 6 - those "Odie eyes"
In the studio today: All those Odie eyes looking at me from the monitor! 😄 I’ve been working on Odie’s eyes for the past two days. The...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 28, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 5
In the last two posts I showed you my watercolor underpainting, first on the background, then on the figure of Odie. The underpainting...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 26, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 4
I’ve put in an underpainting on Odie to give him a nice “red Dobe” base color to work on top of. I chose cream Canson paper for this...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 25, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 3
I shared with you my process for doing the underpainting of the background scene, in my last post. I will also do an underpainting over...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 24, 20231 min read
Odie portrait in progress 2 - watercolor techniques
Odie will be in a beach scene that is meaningful to clients Robin and Mike, a favorite vacation spot. He is not allowed on the beach so...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 22, 20232 min read
Odie portrait in progress 1 - gathering the photos
My next portrait is Odin (“Odie man”) for Robin B. As Robin was gathering photos and sending them to me, she kept saying, “His face melts...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 13, 20231 min read
The final step...(really)
"Jet" portrait delivered today to Cathy in Hawaii. This is why I pack my portraits really well with at least 4 inches of fill on all...
Kevin Roeckl
Jul 11, 20231 min read
Jet portrait finished!
The client, Cathy, chose a reference photo that is personally very meaningful to her. Before I show you the finished portrait of Jet, I...
Kevin Roeckl
Jun 30, 20234 min read
Oliver portrait finished!
When I sent a jpg of the finished portrait to the clients for final approval, Carolyn wrote: “Beautiful!!! That’s our boy! Makes me miss...
Kevin Roeckl
May 15, 20231 min read
Oliver portrait in progress 4
Oliver’s head is finished and working my way down his neck. Next, his plaid bow-tie! Prismacolor pencil on grey Canson paper, 18 x 23...
Kevin Roeckl
May 8, 20231 min read
Oliver portrait in progress 3
Working on the rust-colored area of Oliver’s face. Nose and lips finished. These are all the pencil colors I’m using. Prismacolor pencil...
Kevin Roeckl
May 6, 20231 min read
