When the pen hits the paper, I only lift it three times…

I start with a cheap ball point pen.  I put that down and pick up a thin Sharpie Marker next and do loose sweeps and doodles.  When all the lines are sketched and I am confident with the rendition on paper and the likeness in the photo, I pick up the regular Sharpie marker and add tonal definition.  Once the black and white is finished I add accent with colored Sharpie makers or blend-able fabric markers.  This was drawn from one photo which captured the great happiness and expression of Ruby.  This is Jen’s dog.  She mentioned that she would like a pet portrait done and it took a couple months for us to get our schedules in sync.  The next phase will be getting a painterly image on 12×12 canvas.  That will happen this weekend.  Usually my pet portraits are finished in 2 weeks, adding cushion for those moments when reality bites.  This rendition was done while curled up on the couch looking at my laptop photo of Ruby.  Jen gave me about a dozen photos of Ruby and that helped me get a feel for her disposition.  This is one of many dogs I’ve drawn whose owners wanted a likeness as a memorial tribute.

Jen's Ruby in Sharpie by Jean Drayovitch

Jen’s Ruby in Sharpie by Jean Drayovitch

04. January 2013 by Jean Drayovitch
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