Lab Doodle

Meet Chloe. A lab doodle puppy with lots of personality and curls!

Level: Intermediate

Canvas: 8” x 10”

Materials List: Crimson red, white, black, raw sienna, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and cadmium yellow, orange, parchment.

Reference Photo: Reference photo below.

Step #1 Sketch: First I drew Chloe using the reference photo shown above and a 4H pencil. I altered her position somewhat, making her look like she’s lying on her belly, looking up.

Step #2 Eyes & Nose: I painted the first two layers of the eyes and nose using black and white.

Step #3 Dark tones: I wasn’t really sure about which background colors to use so when this happens, I’ll start working on the dog first to help me decide.

I mixed up Raw Sienna and Yellow Ochre to paint the fur around the nose. I used the edge of my flat brush to place the first layers color, while starting to create fur.

Step #4 Medium Tones: I started testing out medium tones of Orange, Yellow, and Raw Sienna. I also added more medium tones of Raw Sienna and White.

I continued layering curls except I switched to a medium round brush. I added more curls using Raw Sienna mixed with White.

As I worked my way around the back and lower limbs, I started adding a tiny amount of Black to create a medium Grey.

Step #5 Light Tones: I used Parchment, White, and a tiny bit of Yellow Ochre to apply highlights to the face and the right side of the body.

Step #6 Background: Now I finally knew which background colors to use. MINT and Deep Orange! I mixed up Yellow, Phthalocyanine Blue, and lots of white for the mint. For the blanket I used Orange and Cadmium Red. I very carefully painted around the curls.

Step #7 Fix Up Curls + Highlights: Now that my background is down, I have to fix up those curls with my Raw Sienna, White, and Parchment.

Step #8 Final Touches: I added my third and final layer to the eyes and nose. I also added a few more low lights on the back and legs to add contrast.

Now time to sign my work!