I'm Having way too much fun!

You know,  this is the most fun I've had in months!  And the most interesting part is it is a custom portrait, not something I'm doing for myself or a competition.  This is a WIP of Preston, a very wet Welsh Corgi that just discovered that water can swallow you whole. During the photo shoot we took a stroll along the bank of The Little Miami, East Fork Branch. Preston followed his Labrador Retriever housemate straight into the river without a thought.  He'd never been in water over his head. He sank like a stone, then bobbed up with an expression of pure shock! Pres isn't entirely sure water is to be trusted ever again!  This piece will eventually be 12x14" Painted on lovely blue linen mat with CARAN d"ACHE Luminance, PRISMACOLOR and DERWENT COLOURsoft pencils.

Lucy finished

I used mostly Prismas and Luminance cp's with mineral spirits on 100% rag mat board.  I'm almost sad I darkened the foreground.  It's hard to know what to do once you have taken the plunge.  Even if you photo shop values into the comp during the designing stages, there's the perspective and "reality"aspect.  Would I leave a detailed background and a blank foreground?  Wouldn't that be odd?  My thought was that subtle roughed in details and shadowy earth tones would support the portrait without busying it up too much.  What do you think?

Doberman Pincher WIP

Lucy is coming along.  Her coat colors are a gigantic challenge. I have hundreds of colored pencils rolling around on the drafting table! The use of mineral spirits was crucial. Tweaking will come later. I am going to set this aside for a little while to work on something else.  Plenty left to do, but I'm "Artist blind."

Accepted into the 22nd Annual CPSA International Exhibition in Daytona Beach Florida

This is "Waiting"  30x16", Prismacolor, Bruynzeel and Luminance pencils on rag mat board. I'm excited about this folks!  This means I become a CPSA Signature member! Rags, Ginger and Stewie are excited as well: my three beloved rescues who've managed to make it BIG.