In The Studio

Hello and Happy Friday! This week in the studio, I’m living vicariously through my artwork. I REALLY want a Cocker Spaniel, because who can resist those EARS?! And if their sweet, puppy like face doesn’t make you say “awwwwwwww!”, then are you really a human?

Here’s a very stylish shot of my set up, and you can see the incredibly lovely reference (which you can find on Pixabay, if you are interested. ) I decided to use Polychromos on PastelMat, and leave the background as the original mat color, which is a soft gray.

PastelMat is honestly ideal for puppy-nose texture without the effort. I got my layers down first, then just lightly went over the top with a lighter color and BOOM- instant texture, no talent required.

I’m also pretty sure I used EVERY. SINGLE. BROWN. PENCIL. I. OWN. I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to colored pencil, and colors still mystify me in a way. So just to be safe, use them all- right?

Getting the eye in was probably the most exciting part of this process for me. Does anyone else feel like your subject “comes alive” when the eyes are right?

The ears were pretty intimidating, so I worked on them section at a time, by adding multiple layers of pencil to one group of curls, then going in with my slice tool and pulling out the structure and highlights. If you’d like to pick up a Slice Tool for yourself, you can find the one I use here.

COME BACK NEXT FRIDAY TO SEE THE FINISHED PIECE! Can’t wait? Head on over to Instagram, then.