"The Kiss of Hearts"

Detail of a work-in-progress I shared in 2019…. a portrait of Marlaina B. and her beloved blue Doberman, Sky. 

Sky’s registered name was CH. Kettle Cove Lanikai Blue Sky. The theme of the litter was Hawaiian Islands. I wanted to capture the feeling of Sky and Marlaina on a tropical Hawaiian beach. (The reference photo was taken at a busy marina in San Diego, CA.)

I chose this “Cream” Canson paper because it is the color of sunlight. The mediums I’m using - watercolor and colored pencil - are “transparent” mediums, this paper color will show through them. The color of sunlight will affect every color I put into this artwork, giving it the feel of a sunny summer day. 

Sky herself is finished but the rest is “underpainting”. When I began the piece I masked off the figures to protect the cream paper, then painted the tropical sea - the whole background of the piece - with a smooth wash: broad strokes with a very large brush (like a house-painting brush).  

Then I decided to do an underpainting on the figures too. 

In the shadowed parts of the figures, I put in an underpainting so it will be as if I’m working with colored pencil on a darker paper. I left the sunlit parts of the figures untouched. That paper color is the perfect color for sunlight on skin. 

On Sky’s body, I did a wash of mushroom grey for her coat, darker (more opaque) in the shadowed areas, lighter (thinned with more water) on the sunlit areas.

Then I filled in the colored pencil detail over the underpainting. I began with Sky’s head and worked my way down. The dark values of her torso and legs - the difference between her rust markings and “blue” coat in shadow - were challenging.  

When I originally shared this in-progress pic in 2019 I wrote:

“Sky is finished. Next I’ll start on Marlaina’s face. I’ve never done a blue Doberman before. In her coat are greys, mushroom brown, chocolate browns, some mauve, a bit of blue.”

⭐️  See the full finished portrait HERE.

🎨 Prismacolor pencil and watercolor wash on “Cream” Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 18 x 24 inches.

“The Kiss of Hearts” (2019)

Commissioned by Marlaina Battle.