And more blessings keep coming! Since posting “Rocky Boy” to Facebook, two friends I used to work with at Disney World have requested their own commissions. I love it, and I’m grateful people love their animals so much. 🙂 Unfortunately where we live right now, pets aren’t allowed, so this gives me an awesome opportunity to feel like I have some pooches around!
The first commission request I received was a great surprise. It was fun discussing what kind of final product Koda’s owner wanted without having seen Koda at all, leaving me wondering what kind of pup I’d get to work on. Ah, but when I finally received this pic, I was relieved and excited. What a cutie!!
Instead of a painting, Koda’s dad wanted a black and white drawing. Definitely a less expensive choice since it’s going to be shipped well across the U.S.! I chose to go with a sturdy 16×20 piece of Canson art board and dig out my charcoal pencils and stumps. I’m definitely a little rusty on these. Don’t think I’ve shaded like this since my Sophomore year of college (which, hey, wasn’t THAT long ago), but it’s so fun to jump back into using this medium.
The first thing I did was edit the photo to a Black and White copy and print it out for reference. So the progress goes something like this:
And the final product (though I’m always tempted to do more, so this might continue to evolve a little before I send him off):
I’m really happy with the way Koda looks. From what I’ve heard, his owner is pretty thrilled, too, which is really what it’s ALL about. I think an artist’s true mantra has to be “Happy Customer, Happy Life.” As long as my art is making people smile, I’m content. 🙂
So glad to have another project under my belt,
-Natalie Grace
Grace Line Arts 