Pet Portrait: Urendel the Shepherd/Lab mix

This pretty lady's name is Urendel.  Quite the name for this Shepherd/Lab mix, like a character from The Lord of the Rings or something, so she's probably an epic dog setting off on major quests to make the world a better place: saving cats from trees, taking rings to Mordor, the usual.  That's just my theory, anyway.

One of Urendel's family member's was kind enough to buy the services I donated to the Open your Heart Gala for the Missouri Alliance For Animal Legislation this year, so the assumption that Urendel is a kind dog doesn't seem too far off base when considering who she was raised by.

Paper Used: 400 Series Flannel White Strathmore Artist Paper cut to 11x14".

Blending Fun:  Just thought this time I would do something a little different and show you a glimpse into my process.  Basically in most cases I put down the basic colors that I will be using as bases and then use a lighter or darker color to start layering up lines to create the look of fur and blend the colors together.  Try not to judge me too much on the different colors of photos, but they were taken with different lighting.

rismacolor Colored Pencils Used:

Black - PC935
90% Cool Grey - PC1067
70% Cool Grey - PC1065
50% Cool Grey - PC 1063
30% Cool Grey - PC1061
Dark Umber - PC947
Sienna Brown - PC945
Ginger Root -PC1084
Cream - PC914

Progress Shots:

Time Spent:  26 hours and 15 minutes.

See!  I told you that the time it takes to finish a portrait of this size would drop from the last portrait of a soft-coated Wheaten Terrier!  Clearly from now on I just need to stick to short haired, black dogs.  All customers dye and trim your dogs accordingly. :)

Up Next: A closeup of the face of a multicolored Boxer named Bristol.  Excited for the new composition set up!

Until next time! Lauren H.
Follow @BewareOfTrees