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Writer's pictureKevin Roeckl

Oliver portrait in progress - start to finish

May 2

Making a good start on a new Doberman portrait, for Carolyn M., Gloria K, and Tammy C. This is the 9th portrait I’ve done for this household. This is Oliver, a black Doberman.


The X's that you see are areas where I will color in solid black.

Colored pencil portrait of Doberman, in progress

Colored pencil on grey Canson paper, 18 x 23 inches.


 

Oliver portrait in progress 2

Working on Oliver’s eye. The next 4 pics are close-ups showing the progression of how the eye was developed.

Colored pencil portrait of Doberman, in progress

1

The eye in progress...

My initial guidelines.

Close-up of Doberman eye done with colored pencils, work in progress

2

Eyebrow finished, eye finished, working on the eyesocket around it...

Close-up of Doberman eye done with colored pencils, work in progress

3

The area surrounding the eye...

Close-up of Doberman eye done with colored pencils, work in progress

4

Putting in the rest of the face around it....

Eye area finished.

Close-up of Doberman eye done with colored pencils, work in progress

 

Oliver portrait in progress 3

Working on the rust-colored area of Oliver’s face. Nose and lips finished.

These are all the pencil colors I’m using.

Colored pencil portrait of Doberman, in progress in Kevin's studio with colored pencils

 

Oliver portrait in progress 4

Oliver’s head is finished and working my way down his neck.

Next, his plaid bow-tie!


Prismacolor pencil portrait of Doberman, in progress

When Carolyn saw this in-progress picture she wrote,

"Absolutely gorgeous!!! I have had a lot of dogs in my life. Oliver was something special! He was the BEST dog we ever had! We lost him so young, I miss him every day! I love it Kevin! 💕"


 

Oliver portrait in progress 5

Working on Oliver’s bow-tie. These are the pencil colors I'm using. The detail of the bow-tie took me a lot longer than I thought it would.

Detail of plaid bow-tie on Doberman portrait, in progress in Kevin's studio with colored pencils

 

Oliver portrait in progress 6

Closing in on the finish line...

Working my way down Oliver's chest toward the fade-out at the bottom.

Colored pencil portrait of Doberman, in progress in Kevin's studio with colored pencils

 

Oliver portrait finished!

When I sent a jpg of the finished portrait to the clients for final approval, Carolyn wrote:

“Beautiful!!! That’s our boy! Makes me miss him so much more!!”

Prismacolor pencil portrait of black and tan Doberman in a plaid bow-tie
Prismacolor pencil on grey Canson paper, 18 x 23 inches

This is the 9th portrait I’ve created for Carolyn, Gloria, and Tammy: memorial portraits of beloved dogs who have graced their household over the years. 5 Dobermans, 2 Old English Sheepdogs, a Border Collie, and a Beagle.


⭐️ You can see several of those portraits in my DOGS Gallery on my website.







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