Thursday, October 9, 2014

Work in Progress - Brittany Portrait

Brittany portrait in progress -14" x 18"
I recently received a request from a past client to do a portrait of their five Brittanies. I have been wanting to do a piece like this for these folks for some time because I know how much each and every dog has meant to them. Like myself, every pet owner I paint for loves their dogs to the depths of their heart and holds special memories there of each and every one. That's why a combined portrait of all of them can be so meaningful. 
Pencil study of Charlie a Brittany
 
This portrait is a little different in that I'm doing a fairly detailed pencil study of each dog. Over the top of the pencil I will be adding a light wash of watercolor. I use this technique when doing preliminary sketches for other media I may be working in, but it can stand on it's own as a finished piece quite beautifully. 
Here is an example of a Cooper's Hawk study using this technique.
Cooper's Hawk-pencil and watercolor wash

I rather like the understated simplicity of it. 
Hope you all enjoy this peek at a work in progress. I'm hoping to have it finished by next week and will post the final as soon as my client approves.