Journal: White Shepherd Dog A5

Hello everyone! 

I've been quite busy working on custom orders and other projects and I said I will be away from social media and internet for a while, but it seems like this is not happening. I am here, writing this post :) 

I would like to show you some work in progress of my German Shepherd Dog Journal in A5 size. It is still not finished, but I managed to finish the front cover, so can show it off. Sorry for iPhone quality pictures. As I said, professional ones will come sometime later. 

So I begun with tracing the outline of the dog's head onto white clay. I used creaseproof paper as I didn't have a proper tracing paper. I figured this way it will be tidier than trying to draw, cut, smudge imperfections on white clay. You know how tricky it is!

Next I added up some volume to a flat piece and used rubber shapers and ball tools to even and smudge it all out. It was hard working with white clay that was put onto black clay surface!!! Such a dirty job! I was washing my hands but still clay got mucky! I wasn't too sad about it as I knew I will be painting over it!

For the fur I had chosen to use the Dots & Scratches tool, but it seems like it didn't work well on my white clay. It usually does work really well, but not on this chalky white clay. Did you know I really don't like white clay! :)

So after creating all this unnecessary crumbly clay fur, I thought I need to fix it, perhaps smudge and smooth some little hairs into longer and larger strands or hair. I used the tool you see in this picture and it was a great find. I never knew how to use this tool really and only used a needle tool on the other side of it. So it was a great discovery!

I also struggled with the background design. Sometimes I go into the artwork unprepared and make mistakes. Like this time, I didn't do the background properly first as I didn't know how it will look. I thought it will unravel  itself in the process. So first I tried to stamp some textures in the black areas but it didn't look right. I smoothed it all back in and decided to use these clay strands to make swirls. It worked, and so I continued and decorated the bottom of the composition with green leaves to make an appearance of some sort of place, space and perspective. 

The idea of this journal was quite unique. My customer wanted to have a magical white shepherd dog with some magical features. We found this picture online which inspired us both and we agreed to work from it. Unfortunately there was no author of this picture mentioned anywhere so I can't say who is an original painter of this artwork. 

Then came the happy times of Mica Painting! I love working with Mica powders and they create such a change. Couple of my latest artworks are a complete nightmare to me, as they don't look right until almost the very end. This is because they require paint job of mica painting, so you won't be able to see the final result until the very end. But in the very end, after all the tones and shades, colours and shimmers were applied, the dog finally turned out magical, with a smart look in his eyes. I don't like praising myself and for some reason I always see flaws in my work, but I am very pleased on how the look on the dog's face ended up being so realistic. I love his face, I love the avatar-like surroundings and all the magic atmosphere that there is around.

I guess this is it. I will post up some good quality pictures later on next month when I am finished, when photos are taken and I have a chance to edit them to a quality standard I always provide.

Thanks a lot for reading, 

Have a wonderful day,