Two of a Kind

I love the summer but at times it can take away from my artwork. That's why I'm glad to finally be getting back into the pet portrait business. My latest commission was of two adorable mutts.
Size: 8x10
Medium: Scratchboard with a watercolor wash
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Advanced Illustration Project

For my advanced illustration class we were allowed to pick our own project. I chose to illustrate the short story I wrote about my dog Kodi. It's meant to be a children's book, not necessarily a book a young child could read on their own but one with pictures to go along with the words that a parent can read and also an older child can enjoy it. I worked with my enemy, gouache. It's not so much my enemy as I've learned to tame it, most of the time. I'm relatively pleased with how it came out and may continue on this next semester.

This is obviously the part in the book where Kodi is getting a pat on the head.

In Loving Memory: Lucy

One thing pet portraits are great for is soothing that empty place in your heart. It won't fill it but having a portrait of your pet helps keep the memory alive. This commission is in loving memory of a Shih Tzu named Lucy.

Size: 5x7
Medium: Scratchboard with a watercolor wash
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Tanner and Simba: COMPLETE

I finished Tanner and Simba. I am pleased with how it came out. I also enjoyed being able to practice both on a cat and a dog at the same time.
Size: 11x14 [my scanner couldn't fit the whole thing]
Medium: Scratchboard with a watercolor wash
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WIP: Tanner & Simba Part 2

Another update on my latest commission. I've fondly named this Love at First Sight. I forgot to mention before the dog is named Tanner and the cat is Simba.
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And a close up of the heads:

WIP: Tanner & Simba

I haven't been doing much work due to school work piling up. But, I finally had some free time and was able to work on my latest commission. A dog and a cat at the same time! They are adorable. This has been a lot of fun so far. I decided to show a work in progress with this one. It's half way done. I hope to get it done within the next few days.
Size: 11x14
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Rendering Techniques

During my Fall 2008 semester I took Rendering Techniques. Basically the concept was learning to make things look like things. Such as; wood look like real wood, fur look like fur, ect. We worked with Gouache, which I had never used before. It was tough but in the end I can at least appreciate gouache. It certainly isn't my favorite medium but it has it's highs and lows. Below is my project. Both ends were chopped off by my scanner but you still get enough of the image.


From Left to Right [Top]: Wood, wine, handcuffs [metal], dress [fabric]
From Left to Right [Bottom]: Bricks, fur [dog], fur [cat], water [leaf]