I was asked to draw Henry shortly after I found my love for pastels. The benefit of tailing backgrounds, layering light over dark and the blending options is what made me switch from colour pencil to pastels and I haven’t looked back.
Henry is a very sweet Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with those very expressive eyes that all Spaniels have. It’s the first thing I noticed when I looked at the reference photograph so it’s important to get them spot on in the portrait.
The subtle colour and tonal differences in the white areas with the reflections in the correct place all make a big difference in the final piece. These highlights are not random – they follow the shape and curve of the eye, the natural orb shape they have and of course they reflect the surroundings in some cases. Many sky blues and greens are often reflected on outdoor shots. Henry’s reference photograph was indoors so there was not much colour but the tonal differences were there.