Drawing the German Shorthaired Pointer - Ear and Brow

Now I am going to finish the ear; working from the front edge of the ear leather back towards the first fold which is about the middle of the ear.

Working in the darkest areas first I gradually build up layers of graphite in the shadows and shading to give definition to the way the ear leather folds.

There will only one or two layers of graphite in the lightest areas.

Then I complete the back part of the ear in the same manner until the entire ear is complete.

I worked a little on the nostrils of the nose and put a little shading under them, but I am not happy with the placement and will need to rework that later.

Going back up to the top of the skull I lightly filled in the area to join both side of the skull as a starting point to be sure the tone is the same value.

From there I once again started in the darkest area using for the most part lines bent in the direction the areas curve to help create the illusion of roundness.

Once I reach the eye orb I take care to define the shadow above the eyelid and to place the high light on the lid itself so it looks as though there is a depression behind the lid.

Drawing the German Shorthaired Pointer -First Stage

I am going to start on the other dog and get most of the head completed before I do the markings on the first one.

I like to start with the high lit edge of the ear and get a little shadow and shape under the top fold. Then mark in the lines for the folds on the ear leather and put in a little contrast to establish a difference from the bottom of the ear flap of the second dog from the profile of the first one.

Then  I added a little shading to indicate the brow lines over the eyes before moving on to the ear on the other side of the head.

Working over the top side of the skull to the center of the head and adding some shadows to create the illusion of a rounded shape.

The area around the far eye is given definition and shape, before working down to the chin and putting in a little shadow from the upper lip.

Since the second dog is mainly white in colour I put in the shadings on the body to indicate the muscle mass of the shoulder and some of the shadows in the throat. I also added the few markings the dog has on the neck.

Next I finished the area above the far eye, adding more shading and details.

Then back to working on the ear I brought the shadow down the length of the front edge of the ear and gave some definition to the bottom of the cheek.

From there I added more shading at the bottom of the ear leather and defined the shadow behind the front edge of the ear.

I started adding shape to the fold on the ear leather, gradually adding dark against the highlights and creating the illusion of a third dimension in the painting.

I always find it a good idea to take a step back from the piece I am working on and look at the entire painting and make sure it is balanced.

Otherwise by being too focused on the small area I am working on it is easy to lose sight of the entire piece.

Thank you for coming to look at my artwork.

Drawing the German Shorthaired Pointer - Muzzle

After lightly sketching in areas of dark shadow and the highlights as well as the centre line on the bridge of the nose I began adding the shading to the lower part of the head.

The painting was working so well I lost track of time and forgot to stop and take photographs after I had finished the jaws, bridge of the nose and muzzle. I will try and make sure I stop to take the photographs when working on the other dog's head.

I still have to put all the markings on this dog, but I will do that later.

Sunset Silhouette 3

This is the third original 4" x 4" acrylic painting and is available for $65.00.

The other two are Sunset Silhouette 1 (see posting on 27 December 12) and Sunset Silhouette 2 (see my post on 19 December 11).


















You are welcome to come out and see all three together at the Miniature Squared Show which will open at KAGS this Saturday and will run through to 02 February 12.

Wine Bottles and Glasses - A Work in Progress

Today we held the first Still Life class at KAGS.

We had two different arrangements, one of vases and bowls with Chinese lantern plants; the other of wine bottles and glasses.

I chose to do the wine bottles and glasses.

At break the members discussed what direction we would like to go with the still life class and decided that rather than stick with traditional still life themes we go with a variety of interest themes. So over the course of the rest of the winter and spring we will be doing just that.

I will post this sketch once I have it completed.

Drawing the German Shorthaired Pointer - Top of Head

Now it is time to get the top of the skull finished and work my way down towards the muzzle.

The first thing I filled in was the small area above the eye. It has a fair amount of high lit areas and the layers of graphite were gradually built up to blend with the surrounding area.

I then worked on finishing the solid marking at the back of the neck and below the ear; darkening the area for the shadows and using curved lines to create the illusion of roundness. Later I will put all the freckles into the coat.

Going back to the area between the eyes the shadows and highlights were slowly working in down and across the bridge of the nose to just below the stop between the eyes.

Working above the sharp edge of the cheek bone, the flat section of the cheek was put in and the shadow area below was joined to complete the front edge of the cheek bone.

The area below the eye was then filled in and some of the small veins which are close to the surface of the skin just above the cheek bone were given a little definition. I then put in the shadow beneath another of the veins just below the front edge of the cheek and across the top of the muzzle.

More detail was added to the corner of the mouth, shadowing was added along the bottom of the jaw and the hollow in the cheek where the tendons run where given a little more definition.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and look at the artwork. I hope you will return often.

Drawing the German Shorthaired Pointer - Eye Lid and Cheek

I wanted to get the eye lids and area around the eye completed today but just couldn't get started. So I added some shading down the front of the neck and worked on putting in the markings on the shoulder.

It is time consuming to get each of the markings in its exact location on the body and on this dog there are a lot of small freckles yet to be done.

I moved upward and rounded the bottom of the cheek slightly and darkened the shadow beneath the jaw giving it a more defined outline.

Working below the sharp edge of the cheek bone I added more shading and indicated areas of highlight.

I did a little more work at the top of the skull and added more shading before I finally started to work on the eye lid and the area around the eye.

The first thing I put in is the tear duct in the corner of the eye and lightly indicate the skin surrounding it. Once that is in place it acts as a guide for the lower eye lid.

The upper eye lid is drawn and the shadow put into the bottom and in the crease. The highlight on the top edge of the eye lid gradually darkens towards the far side of the lid.

The furrows above the eye lid are gradually drawn in and defined.