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Luke's Work in Progress
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Click on the last update to read more!
German Shepherd Photograph		Portrait Details
		Size: 14" x 18"
		Medium: Watercolor
		Breed: German Shepherd Dog
		Name: Luke
		This reference photo of Luke was taken in full sun which resulted in a lighter coat color and bright reflective areas on the chest. Luke's coat is actually darker than shown here and will be painted to match other reference photographs to more accurately depict his true coat color.
Update 1		Update 2
Here is the basic preliminary sketch of Luke. I have outlined much of the markings that will later be blocked off with their appropriate colors.		I have now started defining the details of  the mouth and nose and started adding color to the eyes.  To me, the eyes are probably the most important aspect of the portrait since they convey the true charisma of an animal. I always start with the eyes as I feel they have to be just right before continuing with  the portrait.
Update 3		Update 4
The yellowish  liquid mastic that surrounds the outline of the lighter colored fur, as well as the white highlight in the eyes, helps keep these areas white.  Since the film acts as a barrier to the paint I can then  add the background color as a wash without worrying about the fur details being lost.		I have now started to paint the background using mostly olive green mixed with a bit of ivory black.  I will add the pine branches  near the top of Luke's head at a later date.  The dog's face is slowly emerging, as I continue to add many layers of paint to build up the individual hairs.
Update 5		Update 6
Today I've worked mostly on the left side of Luke's face and his nose. Working with a 10/0 size brush takes tremendous time as it does not hold lots of paint. When doing detailed work,  I often end up working more than one hour on a relatively small space, like the nose or the eye area for instance.		Luke is starting to look great, don't you think? Once I painted the ears, it seemed as if the portrait suddenly came alive.  The muzzle is near completion and I've started working the mouth and tongue along with the chest and back. I still have to retouch many areas but the work is slowly nearing completion.
Update 7		Finished Portrait-click to enlarge
After adding pine branches and completing the detail on the back leg and body, the fur around Luke's neck and chest  is the last part of the painting.		The details of the fur on the neck was completed. Highlights were added to Luke's face in order to get rid of the flat appearance shown in the last update.