As part of my Happy Pup Series, I found this sweet Golden Retriever on my friends Instagram account @comfortretriever. Miloh's joy and love is so apparent, which is why I chose lots of color to capture her glow.

If you would like one of these or something similar for a sweetheart this Valentine's Day, follow and tag me on Instagram in one photo you would like me to make for them. I will announce the winner on Friday, February 2nd. The winner will get 1/2 OFF one pet/animal portrait + a 20% OFF Gift Card.

Below, I've outlined my process in creating this happy portrait.

First, with a 4B pencil, I drew Miloh very, very lightly.

Second, with a black Prisma Colored Pencil, I outlined the face and fur with another light layer. That's the trick here, doing everything lightly, and in layers.

Once most of the body was touched in black, I started adding color. Starting with rose red. Of course.

On the right side I went over the black with shades of red, orange, purple, turquoise, dark blue, and light blue.

On the left side I primarily used brown, gold, yellow, and white, to maintain Miloh's original coat color. In this step, I also added color to the eyes. That's my favorite part of the drawing!

I didn't want a full background which is why I added light blue fabric at the bottom. For that I used grey, purple, light and dark blue.

For a custom dog/pet portrait, contact me HERE or check out more examples on my STORE.