Sketching a Hero

I'm very excited to start work on this great dog. He's a huge Golden Retreiver that is also a Service Dog for CHOC (Children's Hospital of
Orange County). I think dogs are amazing, they are such a gift. I'm honored to be in charge of creating a painting and coloring pages of this guy - the painting for the owner, and the painting pages for her to share with the children he visits. 

I always start my prep work by doing a few sketches of my subject. I believe in muscle memory and I feel that sketching the face gets me used to its lines and contours.  It's also a tonal drawing to draw (intentional pun) my attention to the light and dark areas of the photograph. I will share my progress with this guy on my Facebook page. 

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