Storm portrait in progress 2

As usual, I start with the ears.

Since I'm right-handed, I almost always start in the upper left and work down, so I don’t drag my hand through finished work. First I did the left ear, then working across the top of Storm's head, the right one.

There are all kinds of colors in a black ear. Browns, blues, raspberry red, many different greys both warm and cool. Those are the colors my eye picks out in a photo of a black and white Border Collie. I then exaggerate the colors I see. Not enough to look “fake”, but enough to give interest and vibrancy — “life” — to a work of art.

Colored pencil strokes make really great dog hair!