Airbrushing A Dog portait

Surface: Loxley 3D canvas ( 20 x 20 inches)
Airbrush: Iwata Eclipse CS
Paint: FW liquid acrylic inks by Daler Rowney

This piece was done on a 3D medium weave canvas which means that there is no need for a frame as the canvas itself is 1 1/2 inches deep. I like these canvases as they offer a more contemporary look.




Step 1: In order to prepare the canvas I brush on 3 coats of Liquitex gesso and sand in between coats with 240 grit paper. This gives me a smoother surface on which to airbrush without completely removing the canvas texture. I like the canvas surface to remain visible. If you want a completely smooth surface you are better off using board. The image is projected onto the surface and a faint pencil line is traced around the image. Using Daler Rowney FW liquid acrylic white ink diluted with water I begin to render the dog using my Iwata eclipse airbrush.






Step 2: Here you can se how the white has been used to sketch out the highlights and form of the head. This is as much as I need with the white.




Step 3: Now it’s time to start adding depth using FW black ink again diluted with water. I attack the darkest areas first around the eyes and nose. The aim is to produce a black and white portrait onto which I will add transparent colours allowing the underlying artwork to show through.












Step 4, 5, 6 & 7: These four steps show the progression using just black.




Step 8: Coming in with white I add highlights to give more dimension to the mouth area especially.






Step 9: Using a very weak mix of Marine blue I lightly dust over certain areas to give the hair a tint of blue which should give the illusion of that raven black. The eye is detailed with sepia and then burnt umber.









Step 10, 11 & 12: With white I go over certain areas adding the highlights in the eyes and nostril giving the impression of that glistening wet look. Now’s the time to add any small details such as stray hairs etc and we’re done.To protect the paint I spray a mix of Liquitex gloss medium and varnish slightly diluted with water.



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