My llama in acrylics

I started painting a llama this weekend. Sometimes it's nice to work in acrylics because they dry so fast. Kind of instant gratification. I have a few more layers to do on this, but thought I'd post it so far. I think I'll use it for a Christmas card design.

Pencil drawing of a Corgi

The breeder I got my German Shepherd from, also breeds Corgis. Since seeing them at her house, I seem to be seeing them everywhere. I decided to draw one. So, that's story!

 It was difficult getting the ears right and even, but I'm happy with this final art. Pencil on Bristol Board

Oil Painting of an English Bulldog Step 2

The next step is to throw in a nice underlayer. She had lots of tan and brown on her, and the background was to be grass, so I used raw umber and burnt siena. This gets the canvas all colored up so you can continue and not be afraid of a big blank white canvas staring at you. I really enjoy most of the steps. I kept the client updated as I went, so this is usually the hardest one for them to look at. They must cringe and say "I thought she could paint?" But thankfully it is laid down with lots of turpentine so it dries pretty quickly and off you can go.

Bassett Hound puppy 4 or 5 I forget!

I'm getting there. Added many, many layers of color but I'm still not done. Have to put it away for a few days and then take it back out.

Bassett Hound puppy 3

Step 3 is much like the last step, keep erasing and adding color. I'm drawing on some nice toned coffee with cream orangy kind of color (don't have the name but you get the idea!) Canson paper and it seems to be taking the color well except for the white. Again, I might switch to Prismacolor for the white. I've erased all the pencil from the top of the face and filled it in with the colored pencil. I try to watch which way the fur is falling and make my stokes copy that direction. If you haven't drawn on nice Canson paper because it seems expensive, take into account that you can fold it in half, tear it and then fold those 2 pieces in half and tear it again. Makes 4 good sized sheets for only a dollar or 2 each. It's really worth the investment for any drawings you intend to finish up and frame. It's archival so your drawings will last. Be sure to apply fixative so you don't get haze (called wax bloom) over your colors and they stay bright. And if you are drawing in shifts and have applied lots of layers, consider spraying with workable fixative which will help to lift the texture back up a bit so it has more tooth. Burnishing can press the color deeply into the paper and this helps if you want to go back into it with more color layers. Gives the pencil more bite into the paper. I'm also showing the colors I will be using. Browns, reds, orange, yellow, beigey tan, and of course white. Also a pink in there. May add some blues into the whites later.

Bassett Hound puppy

Well I started a cute Bassett Hound puppy the other night. Here is the first sketch I do when I begin. I do it lightly so I can erase it easily. It's gets all the proportions down and the basic dark and light areas.