The Workings of Diamond

The adorable bully dog I posted below had a makeover. I decided to make Diamond larger to fill the 11x14 paper better and get in tight with the landscape. I started by just working on the dog and seeing if I could reproduce what I had in the smaller version. I was not only able to replicate it but fix up mistakes I thought I made in the smaller version.

Happy with the results I moved on the finishing up the dog and adding in the background. Using NuPastels and Derwent Pastel Pencils I accomplished the palm trees and rocky ground. I'm looking forward to a class I am taking in January that focuses on creating landscapes with pastels. That'll help me sharpen up my landscape skills.

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Finally, the client wanted a matt. I picked a nice deep green to pull out the the colors of the palm trees and gives it a nice finish. This commission for the client's sister as a Christmas present. 

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Medium: Pastel

Size: 11x14

Bully Dog WIP1

Up next is a work in progress of an adorable bully dog named Diamond. Even though it's a Christmas gift this pup is lounging in the luxury of palm trees. I started with the head and the mouth. That huge smile as been a challenge...took me about an hour for just that part.
Medium: Pastel on sanded pastel paper
Size: 11x14

Two Lab "Heads"

I have returned! I had a hard month of November some of December but now I am getting back into my art, which I missed terribly! I have about 4 commissions waiting with 2 of them for the holidays. One client provided a photo of her Aunt and Uncle's two Labradors to be done as a scratchboard. It will be given as a great Christmas present!
Medium: Scratchboard with ink wash
Size: 8x10
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Solitary Dog

I finished the charcoal dog the other day. Everything is sent out the SAA and fingers are now crossed. I won't know until mid November if I've been accepted. In the meantime...when I showed the owner of the reference I was allowed to use...I wasn't expecting this:
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Hi Jessica! I LOVED the drawing, you did a really wonderful job, and on behalf of me and my whole family, thank you for doing it. ^^ You see, we recently had to put Wren down, due to old age and sickness that she just couldn't combat any longer. She was a very vital and loved part of our family, and it has just been heart breaking these past few weeks living without her. We've been trying hard to get back on solid ground around the household, and especially for my mom, this portrait has just been lovely in helping us get there. She cried tears of joy when I showed it to her. ^^ And my dad, as a traditional-art-loving guy.. really applauds your skill! As do I.  

Once again, a big thanks from the James family. 

- Evan 

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Black & White Dog: WIP 1

I'm gathering my 5 pieces of work to submit to the Society of Animal Artists tomorrow. I'm hoping I get in this year but we shall see. I wanted to make sure I had a good variety of mediums to show. I have scratchboard and pastel but I wanted to get one more in. So, I started a charcoal this afternoon. I don't usually work in charcoal but I wanted something I could work with relatively quickly. Surprisingly all of my pastel work is making charcoal a lot easier then I thought. I think that is because charcoal is relatively similar to pastels. I found this beautiful photo and was given permission to use it as a reference. I am really liking the results so far.
Medium: Charcoal
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Sleepytime Complete

Sleeptime Wolf is...complete! I think I'm pleased with it. I can always go back & work on it but for now I'm going to leave as is. Not sure if I want to sell it but I am offering prints! Nice and affordable! 5x7 are $5 & 8x10 are $10. I can do larger prints if needed. Contact me if you'd like to place an order. 

Medium: Scratchboard with an ink wash & acrylic for the rocks

Size: 8x10

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Sleepytime WIP2

Sleepytime wolf gets an update. I was able to get a solid 2 hours of work on it yesterday. Relatively happy with it so far. I'm thinking of experimenting & using acrylics to paint in the rocks. We shall see!

Medium: Scratchboard

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