- "Safety" 1
Here's the first, sloppy stage of "Safety", 7" x 5" The reference photo has a lot of light values in it, so I used Claybord (white scratchboard) for the drawing - that way, I didn't have to remove a lot of black. using artistic license I chose to make the upper and lower left sections dark instead of showing the dog's body. The shape wrapping around her head is an arm in a fleece sweatshirt. At this stage, I blocked in the values by painting with full strength India ink & ink washes. It looks really rough here, but all this became detailed with scratching as I worked through the process. I used a Rapidograph (technical pen) filled with India ink to draw the eyes and to scribble the stripes of her brindle pattern. At this point I had just started "texturizing" the solid black areas by scratching. Here's an Instagram video showing stippling on a portion of the background: www.instagram.com/p/BH4aLolBaqP - K9 Yukon - #5
Not quite done, but really, really close. Needs watercolor over some of the scratched areas, then select scratching to finish the portrait. Compare this one to the previous image where the portrait was much rougher. The scratching has helped to blend & soften the fur and tones. This stage is lighter, but the last pass with watercolor will bring back some contrast and color. - K9 Yukon - Final
The finished portrait 10" x 8" scratchboard with watercolor - Scotia 3
Update on Scotia's portrait. That large black blob area needs to be scratched...