Sybil (YT: Sybil B) is one of my dearest crafty friends. After lots of turbulence and upheaval in her life, she was able to finally settle down in a new home and get a gorgeous golden retriever, named Hailey. Hailey went through a rough puppy period, but has finally settled down into the loving, sweet, and affectionate companion Sybil had been hoping for.

I wanted to do a portrait of Hailey for my dear friend, but these portraits always take a lot out of me so I have been dragging my feet. It’s days of prep (both mental and physical). Sounds extreme? Yes, I know, ridiculous. Actually I think the hardest thing for me is that realistic portrait drawings require more emotion. After all, we all have high powered digital cameras that can take exact likenesses in an instant. A portrait needs more. I am always worried that the recipient of one of my portraits will be disappointed or not think that the portrait looks like their animal.  Anyway, I finally got over my reticence and just drew and drew and colored.

Yes, I also did a colored version using my Derwent Inktense Watercolor Pencils, 12 Count and a Pentel Aquash Waterbrush. These watercolor pencils are a bit pricey, but even just the 12 pencil set I have is wonderful. The colors are rich, the pencils smooth, and the blending so soft. I also used a little paw print stamp with the Tsukineko Brilliance Pigment Inkpad in Matte Moonlight White to add a pattern to the “wall paper” background.

The following is a video share of this portrait, with some still photos of the portrait in progress:

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