Dog in coloured pencil, step by step

 This much loved dog died very recently, and I was happy to have done this coloured pencil artwork (from a photo from when she was a young dog) for the owner to remember her by. 

The artwork was small, around A4 in size. For dark coloured animals it is necessary to use an 'underpainting' technique, which helps get rid of the whiteness of the paper, and allows the darkest areas to be much richer and more intense. After a detailed line drawing, I like to start at the eyes and work outwards from there. 

The background is an out of focus hedge - I love the blobby patterns this creates. 

Grass is always a challenge and is quite labour intensive. This time I put in some of the paler stems first then worked around them. 

I then put in swathes of darker grasses, with mid tones on top.

The whole artwork took around 30 hours. I use Caran d'Ache Prismalo 1, and a manual sharpener. I used Bristol Board for the smooth surface.

For info on workshops (in studio and on Zoom) please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk 

Pet portrait workshop Sat 28th & Sun 29th November

Coloured pencil artwork, Julie Douglas 

We love drawing and painting our pets! Whether it's a kitten, a camel or a canary, this workshop will help you get the little darlings down on paper! Two days of drawing, using graphite or coloured pencils, we will go through the steps you need to create a likeness and understand the best way to deal with hair (or feathers!). 

Early stages in the coloured pencil process

We all need something to look forward to - lets look forward to drawing our animal friends.  We will work from your own reference photo, or if you would like to use one of mine, that is fine. Suitable for all levels of experience.

So much colour in 'white'!

So much colour in 'black'!

Timings: 10.30 - 4.30 on Saturday, 1pm - 7pm on Sunday. Cost £190. Materials list provided. 

This workshop is (currently) available as socially distanced in-studio as well as on Zoom.

Julie Douglas is an award winning coloured pencil artist, with awards from the Association of Illustrators, UK and the American Color Pencil Society. 

For more info or booking please email julie@juliedouglas.co.uk