Progressing with the portrait of Chrome #2, a beautiful example of the Great Dane breed. I will put the background in first so I can clearly see the character outline of the pet I am painting. Chrome is now surrounded by “wet on wet” background washes in greens and blues. To make his outline pop I am adding a touch of Crimson. He has a great regal pose, at least I really think he does.
This is probably going to sound crazy to some of you but I tend to put darks in “shadow areas” on my subject first. It gives the impression of a 3d presence beginning in my drawing. It tells me right away if something is off. Then, I gradually add a little more detail, then more, and then more. Typically this means that I am alternating back and forth between “light” details, then “dark” details as I go along.