Cocker Spaniels are so Regal

The whole time I was painting this Cocker Spaniel, Hebbe, I was thinking of how Regal looking he is. Hebbe crossed over the Rainbow bridge, but lived a full and life of Royalty in Sweden with his Swedish family who loved and adored him. When painting Hebbe, I wanted to make sure I captured his Royal essence.

The Painting of Hebbe

After I was pleased with the sketch of Hebbe, I started the watercolor painting with light washes of cools and warms being mindful of where the shadow shapes were. I then need to put in some darks (like the eyes) for a point of reference between the lightest lights and the darkest darks. This established the values of my mid-tones.

Next, I added more darks in the waves of his fur and the back side that was in shadow. For the dark fur, I used a combination of Caput Mortuum Violet, some Burnt Umber and some Ultramarine Blue. More water to lighten, more pigment to darken. I continued working my way around the ears and head with darks and mid-tones being careful not to paint over the lights.