Madison. Chocolate Lab. WIP - Finished!

[ex-limey]

I have started working on the Commission I got for Madison, a Chocolate Lab. So I thought I would do it as a work in progress. However, I am not one that can go into much detail, so if you have questions, please feel free to ask! I am working on Fariano Tiziano Paper in Ivory, using Faber Castell Pastel Pencils and Windsor Newton and Art Spectrum Soft Pastels. Oh by the way, I am not putting in a background! ;) I think The Portait can stand alone! :angel:
So here goes...

[ex-limey]

Here is my next step!

[Amazingreys]

Yea!!! :clap: Thank you for doing this!
This is looking great so far!!

[lene]

Hi jean
I am looking forward to follow this - I am sure it's going to be great :clap: The nose looks excellent so far :clap:
Is your first layering the pencils of soft pastels ?

Your drawing looks great - only - take a look at his left eye (our view). From our view we would not be able to see the very corner of the eye itself - the nose will "cover the corner".... I took the liberty to open in PS and draw a line. Not very precise, but should show what I'm talking about ;)

what is the size of your drawing ?
How is the Tiziano paper to work on ? soft/hard etc

[Rollow]

Hi Jean,

I am also looking forward to following this as I have a Choc Lab, or I should say he has me.

So far it looks great. Lene thoughts about the eye would be only comment. Check your reference photo, and you will see at the section of the eye, it sort of comes straight down, with the corner of the eye not showing.

Ron

[ex-limey]

Thanks for your comments! I will straighten the corner of the eye in the next step! :bangin: Hopefully! At least Pastel is a forgiving medium and does allow you to make corrections more easily than colored pencil does! I know what you mean Rollow about who owns who!! I have 2 Cairn Terriers and I think they have done a pretty good job of training me!
Jean. :bye1: :bye1:

[ex-limey]

Well here is the next step! I think the corner of the eye still needs to have more correction. But I don't think the nose is hiding it Lena, I think it is the angle of the eyelid! Also sorry I didn't answer your questions last time. So here goes. The Original drawing was done with the pastel pencils. The second step was added using Soft Pastels, except for the nose area! The size of the paper I am working on is about 15 inches across & 18 inches down. The Fabriano Tiziano paper is great to work on. It holds lots of layers of pastel. It also has 2 sides you can work on. One has more texture than the other. This is the side I am using.
Jean.

[artfulscribe]

This is looking really good...perfect likeness!

Roxana

[lene]

Hi
it's coming along beautifully - the colors looks great :)
.... I don't know all the facial terms in english , thats why I wrote nose :blushing: , sure you understood ;)

[alessandra rosi]

What a beauty!!! Beautiful dog, and very well done! I wait to see it finished!
Alessandra

[Rollow]

Hi Jean,

This is going along so great. I have 1 small comment to make, but it's no big deal: Your reference photograph does not depict the eyes, as far as color, the way a true Choc Labs are. Maybe the sun or light washed out the eyes, but they should be a rich deep yellow brown, leaning towards yellow giving them a golden hue.

I am attaching a pic of my dog Cody to sort of show you what I mean;

Can't wait to see the finished piece.

Ron

[ex-limey]

Hi Rollow! Thanks for the input. Glad you like my dog portrait. :) I guess dogs are like people, some of them have different colored eyes than others. Madison's eyes are really the color I have used! I went out to see the dog, when I got the reference picture, to be sure about color of eyes and coat. Her owner said that when she was younger her eyes were even more green than gold. On the reference photo her coat is too red, so I had to adjust that color also. I can see from your photo that your dog is beautiful, and not spoilt one bit. :D Right?
Jean.

[Debee]

Beautiful Jean. chocolate labs are my favorite. I've entertained the idea of getting some hair color and changing my August's yellow coat to chocolate :rolleyes: LOL I'd not do that really.
but I do drool and google when I see a chocolate.
Great job! :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Rollow]

Hi Jean,

Your right, I did'nt even think that animals are just like people eye color and hue can vary from dog to dog, in the same breed.

Would you mind if I put your "WIP" on this Chocalate in my reference folder?

Spoiled, no not at all, he just lets my wife and I use "his" bed when we sleep at night.

Ron

[ex-limey]

HI Deb! Glad your back!!! :D Hope you had a good trip & ready to cook for the Xmas Party next meeting!!!! :) Do you think Katherine will like the Lab too? :D :D Hi Ron, I'me happy to hear that you like this enough to ask if you can add it to your reference folder. You have my permission :)
Jean. :bye1: :bye1:

[Debee]

Thanks for the welcome home.
Katherine will like, her lab had pups this past summer and Elaine got one of her chocolates. Cocoa is growing into a beautiful dog. She is well behaved and not crazy hyper. So I do get to enjoy loving on a chocolate when I visit Elaine.
You handle pastels very nicely.
Yup, dinner preps have started. :D

[ex-limey]

Haven't posted an update lately. So here is my next step.

[ex-limey]

I will be working the last part of the body in sections so that I can be sure to get the highlights on the coat.
Jean :bye1: :bye1:

[Arlene]

this is stunning but again check that right eye...it seems to have more of the flap over it in the photo?

[Debee]

this is stunning but again check that right eye...it seems to have more of the flap over it in the photo?

Our right or the dogs right? :D The dogs right (our left) is what I see. You don't see the full roundness of the eye because of a flap of skin, due to the viewing angle.

Check too, the right eye (our right, the dogs left) The iris seems to be looking at us where the other eye the iris seems to be looking slightly to his right (the dogs right, our left) :D

[Lynn]

Hi Jean, I am curious about the pencils you used for chocolate. They look the perfect "chocolate lab" color. Excellent work.

[ex-limey]

Hi Lynn! Nice to hear from Downunder! :D The Pencils I use are from Faber-Castell. They are called Pitt Pastel pencils. I had to blend several shades to come up with the color you see. I used Walnut Brown #1122-177, Raw Umber #1122-180, Van Dyke Brown #1122-176, Burnt Sienna # 1122-283 and Dark Sepia 1122-175 with touches of Brown Ochre #1122-182, Sanguine #1122-188 and Venitian Red # 1122-190 and of course White for the highlights. Hope this helps. Do you have a dog? Looks like we are having quite a few portraits of pets posted on this site lately. This is my third. :)
Jean. :bye1: :bye1:

[ex-limey]

Thanks Arlene & Deb for your comments. Okay Deb.... Now you have me .... I'me not sure if I can tell my left from right anymore :D :D
Jean. :bye1: :bye1:

[Katherine]

LOL, Jean! I LOVE the lab! Reminds me a bit of our Whitney.
I think when you tweak that eye a bit, this will be perfection.
Sorry I haven't been around much. I'll have some free time from now til after the new year. I really want to see this one finished.

[lucky]

just gorgeous!!!

[ex-limey]

Sorry I havnen't posted an update lately, but I have had camera problems. I will be going to get a new one tomorrow. So hopefully I can post the final stage sometime this weekend.
Jean. :bye1: :bye1:

[Brenda]

I missed this first time around, Jean. How beautiful!! The colors you have used are just perfect. Love the glow you've got going on the fur. You do so well with these pastels.

I do agree with the others about that eye. Our left - the dog's right. It doesn't seem like it should be showing the full inside corner like it is now.

[ex-limey]

Hi! Well here is my final update for "Madison" I think I have got the dogs right eye corrected:bangin: :bangin: at least I hope so, I had to deliver it to her owner! She Liked it!! So I guess that's all that matters.:D
Jean.:bye1: :bye1:

[Debee]

BEAUTIFUL

I just love those rich dark tones you achieved in the neck and the eyes are great. Yup you took care of the right eye problem, the dogs right our left :D
See you tomorrow evening. :bye1:

[Bill C]

grrrr, Debee used my word, beautiful, so I'll say

GORGEOUS! such intense eyes! :D

[Brenda]

It's wonderful!! You did an amazing job with this. And the eye is just perfect. Love these rich, deep, gorgeous colors!

[Rollow]

Hi Jean,

This is outstanding work, and thank you for allowing me to put this in my ref library.

Ron

[Katherine]

Turned out simply gorgeous, girl! Too bad I didn't get to see it in person.
Still reminds me of Whitney, and Cocoa, as it is almost impossible to tell mother from daughter!
I won't forget about the horse. :angel:

[lene]

Hi Jean
love the fur-texture you have painted on this beautiful lab :clap: .. and the nose and ears are teriffic :)

Glad the owner liked it ;) she should :)
what I didn't notice untill the final drawing: are you aware that the dogs head are tilted compared to the photo. Could be on purpose of cause, if not, you could notice for future drawings :bye1:

[ex-limey]

Hi Everbody!:) Thanks for all your kind words, Deb, Katherine & Biil!:D By the way Ron, I expect to see a Post of your Lab real soon! :D Brenda, I'me glad you got to see this, I don't think too many CP members check out the pastel site! :rolleyes: I guess you are the one who can add "Final" to my Title page! If so, would you please do that got me?:)
Lene - Yes, the dog's head was tilted on purpose!!;) I think it makes a more interesting portrait! Thanks to everybody for all your input. I have a few more dog portaits to do yet. I have also just finished a Black Lab! Will Post when I get pictures taken. Then I have to do a Golden and after that a Yorkie!
Jean:bye1: :bye1:

[Brenda]

I always click on "New Posts" so I see every new post. That way I don't have to hit each forum but see them all together. Look up at that tool bar - the one that says User CP, Member Agreement, Image Library, etc.... On there you will see "New Posts."

I will change the title for you.

Can't wait to see your next masterpieces! :p

[MSL]

Love seeing work in stages! This is great! Thanks!

[marilyn h]

Madison is in the limelight! Gorgeous!

[ex-limey]

Just thought I would post this again. I will be entering this in our local art show this weekend with Jasmine & Toby

[Bebble]

best of luck! Love all the textures and depth in this piece.

(I hadn't seen this one yet - your right the layout is very simular to rollows, and you both did just wonderful on them :) )

Brandy

[Rollow]

Hi Jean,

This is an outstanding piece of work, and I wish you all the best in your local art show, it should go over real well.

Ron

[ex-limey]

I'me happy to report that "Madison" took "Best of Division" (Pastel) in our Art Show today!

[Bebble]

Congrats! :clap:

[Rollow]

Hi Jean,

I am posting the e-mailI sent to you and Arlene this morning regarding the post I made titled "Cody". I just want to let everyone know how important it is that we not use anyone elses artwork to create a new piece, even contour drawings.

I am afraid I have made a terrible mistake, and wanted to apologise.

I was filing away my mound of papers last night, and I came across a contour drawing I had done of a lab, because at the time I thought the pose was excellent, and as it turns out it is a contour drawing of "Madison" by Jean.

When I was in the hospital for so long and had Sandy bring me some of my art stuff, she saw the contour drawing, figured it was Cody, our dog, so she included it in the stuff she brought. It did not even dawn on me, while working on it, the origin of the drawing. As she also brought pics of Cody, I just started to develop the drawing according to the various pics of him.

So the pose I used was in fact Jean's "Madison", and not developed by me, the coloring and eyes were Cody's.

I deeply apologise to Jean. I do not ever copy anybody's work, but this time, unknowingly at the time, I did.


With deep regrets,

Ron

[Gemma]

Thank you Ron for your honesty. We have pulled the thread titled Cody, since it was a copy of Jeans.
Thanks again, Gemma

Hi Jean,

I am posting the e-mailI sent to you and Arlene this morning regarding the post I made titled "Cody". I just want to let everyone know how important it is that we not use anyone elses artwork to create a new piece, even contour drawings.

I am afraid I have made a terrible mistake, and wanted to apologise.

I was filing away my mound of papers last night, and I came across a contour drawing I had done of a lab, because at the time I thought the pose was excellent, and as it turns out it is a contour drawing of "Madison" by Jean.

When I was in the hospital for so long and had Sandy bring me some of my art stuff, she saw the contour drawing, figured it was Cody, our dog, so she included it in the stuff she brought. It did not even dawn on me, while working on it, the origin of the drawing. As she also brought pics of Cody, I just started to develop the drawing according to the various pics of him.

So the pose I used was in fact Jean's "Madison", and not developed by me, the coloring and eyes were Cody's.

I deeply apologise to Jean. I do not ever copy anybody's work, but this time, unknowingly at the time, I did.


With deep regrets,

Ron

[Rollow]

Thank you for your help Gemma.

Ron