In this post I write about my process creating 'Dolly' the Dachshund's pet portrait commission as well as a few tips and tricks which help me create a realistic drawing. Hope you enjoy!
My most recent pet portrait was this gorgeous little Dachshund called 'Dolly'. I've wanted to draw a Dachshund for a while now so when I got the chance to draw Dolly I was very excited!
FINDING THE PERFECT REFERENCE PHOTO
I received around 11 photos of Dolly for this portrait. Now that may sound excessive but I always encourage sending over as many good photos as possible. This is because even though only 1 is used for the main drawing (as shown below), I often find that looking at other photos will help to choose colours that are more true to life and also notice details that aren't clear in the main photo.
THE DRAWING PROCESS
PENCILS & COLOUR CHOICES
Fun fact, it took 43 coloured pencils to draw this 9" x 12" portrait. I've drawn so many portraits since I started my business and I still find it cool how many different colours go into a single portrait. It's always interesting when I reveal some of the hidden colours that you wouldn't expect to be used.
Would you believe me if I told you I used 3 blue pencils for this nose??
Some of these blues are very subtle, especially the darkest one but the shadow of the nose turns into a cooler tone in that area, meaning adding that tiny bit of blue achieved this.
The lighter blues however were used for highlights. Highlights are very rarely pure white, there may be a few here and there, like at the top of the nose where the light is hitting her nose directly, but usually they have a grey base. This makes them less intense and more realistic. The subtle colours added to the grey depend if the highlight has a warm tone (which would be more yellows/oranges) or if they have a cold tone, like in this case which is why blue was used.
DRAWING STAGES
I always start by drawing the eyes. The eyes are the most important feature in my opinion as they give the drawing character. I also start with them because they're the feature I think I'm best at and enjoy the most, so by starting with my most confident feature it sets the tone for the rest of the portrait. I love how Dolly's eye's turned out.
I usually would begin by outlining the eye lid, pupil and highlights with a dark grey - black is saved until the end because if you go in too dark first, it'll be hard to balance it out. I then begin layering whatever colours I see, working my way inwards to the pupil and adding any patterns I see. The highlights I do last, usually using a very light grey and pale blue pencil. At the end of the drawing I use a fine white Posca paint pen for any pure white reflections.
The ears and forehead were then next features I chose to draw. This got me used to drawing the texture changes of Dolly's fur - as you can see her ears are smooth and flat where as her face is a bit more fluffy.
I first add a base of pale yellow so I'm not drawing on pure white. I personally like to use Caran D'Ache Luminance pencils for my base layers as they have a wax texture which creates a smooth layer to draw on top of. Next I built up the colours from lightest to darkest; drawing tiny strokes to create the texture of her fur.
I usually work my way down a portrait, starting with the main feature of that section (in this case her nose) and filling in the fur in the gaps. I was so please with how her nose turned out and I think it is the best nose I've done so far. It's common for a dog to have a wet nose so to achieve this within a drawing, you have to get the right balance of shadows and highlights.
I usually begin by outlining the darkest areas (nostril & grooves). I then add a white base layer so I can build the colours on top, getting darker as I go then using my slice tool (ceramic craft knife) to scratch away the colour in little patches, creating the highlights and texture on top of her nose.
Lastly was her collar and body. Accessories are always a fun addition to a portrait because it gives me a chance to experiment with new textures - in this case it was a fabric strap with a reflective buckle and tag. I used a similar technique to her nose for the strap, building up the layers from light to dark then scratching away the pattern.
AND HERE'S DOLLY ALL COMPLETE...
For size reference here's me holding Dolly's portrait.
This drawing is my Standard size which is 9" x 12" - my most popular size for single subjects.
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