Black Labrador, colour pencil commission

I had this commission last summer, and these photos take you through the steps it needed to finish with a rich, velvety black coat.

There is so much under layering that it felt like two drawings. A brown dog with a black one on top! But without that underlayer, the colour would not have been rich enough and it would have look a bit flat. 

 I mostly use Caran d'ache colour pencils, and work on Bristol board which is lovely and smooth and holds the pigments well. 

For info on commissions and workshops please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

Portrait commission, progress shots (and cats in the studio)

 Cats are an interesting addition to any studio, and not, I must admit, for the faint hearted. They have a knack of wanting to sit just where you are, or on the computer keyboard or, wait for it, ON YOUR ARTWORK. This is a common occurrance for my students too, as many of them finish off their Zoom class by sending a photo of the cat either drinking their water colour water, or sitting directly on top of their painting! 

'What's the story?' 

I'd just blocked in the line drawing for this commission when the cat decided it was enough already. No harm was done, thankfully... 

Usually, I like to start at the eyes and work outwards from there. This was a graphite commission, so only one layer needed. 

Gently gently down the cheek - the best work to have in mind is 'SOFT' - no hard transitions or edges!

'I give up'

Above, the finished artwork. 

Finally, dear little Lulu, who was fond of lifting the pencil and 'helping'. Fondly missed. 

For info on portraits, or drawing and painting workshops please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk