I'm really excited to start this new commissioned pet portrait of Mylo! Starting on a blank piece of paper is always a bit daunting. You want to get the drawing perfect straight away so that you can start adding the paint. When starting a new piece, I normally begin with an overall rough sketch and then I fill in all the details. I try to see the eyes and nose more as shapes and focus on getting the outlines correct. It's also good to do some loose sketches before actually starting on the actual piece. Don't worry if it doesn't work out the first time, keep trying and soon enough you will get it right!
I often document my work with photographs, so doing a Time Lapse video was a big change for me!
I used an app on my iPhone called ProCam and set it to 4K. To set up the camera so that it wouldn’t shake or move, I used a microphone stand (luckily we have one of these at home!) and fixed a grip device for the iPhone with gaffer tape.
I had to make sure that the back of my head didn't get in the way during the filming and also that I didn't move around too much. I felt a little nervous knowing that my painting was being recorded, kind of like I was sitting an exam, but I soon relaxed and started to enjoy the process.
When the time-lapse was complete, I was fascinated to watch my painting process sped up and I hope you enjoy this as well!
I realized that using black watercolor paint is not as easy as I thought, especially when I need to create depth. There are so many different shades and tones in his fur which means that I have a lot more work to do, but am happy with how he is coming together so far!
Made a lot more progress and now putting the final details to Mylo. I am using a really tiny fine watercolor brush to bring out the small hairs on his fur, as well as the white spark in his eyes. I really enjoy this part of the process as you really start to see the painting to come to life.
So here is the finished pet watercolor portrait of Mylo and I am really pleased with how it turned out. It was fun to add all of his spots on his nose and all the extra little whiskers.
When I frame a painting I go to a professional framer here in Tel Aviv to get it done. I picked this rustic brown/black frame as I think really worked well with the colors of Mylo.
Here is the finished framed portrait painting. If you are interested in having your own custom pet watercolor portrait you can read more here https://www.debsaundersart.com/commission or take a look at other pet portraits I have done in my gallery https://www.debsaundersart.com/gallery
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