Holidays 2015 Step by Step - part 1 Lineart

How we made our 2015 Happy Holidays card!

What should we do... Rachel said how about a girl ice skating? - include some kinda animal....

Ok...

Into the sketchbook I went - Canson Universal Sketchbook 10 x 14 with Col Erase Light Blue Pencil

From Rabbit to Dog, added Pea Coat - Col Erase Scarlet Red Pencil

Scan and finalize in Photoshop

On to the full size original - drawn in Col Erase Light Blue  11 x17 Bristol Board

Decided to add hood and fur to end of sleeves, and singular valkyrie type braid - drawing with HB lead now

Rachel found reference for the jacket in Miracle on 34th Street which really helped with construction

Dog or wolf - not sure, and moved "girl's" legs back to accurately support her legs and empasize being on tip toes

Maybe dog...

Maybe wolf...

Move legs back to original position - better compositionally - and found ref for boots!

Buttons on jacket - accuracy and depth cues

WHOOSH from skates!

One more time with wolf...

Slept on it and changed to Arctic Fox - took about 10 minutes to draw - good decision

Final pencil art

Detail of skater

Detail of Fox

Rachel Dodson's inks over my pencils

Rachel inked this completely with Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable #2 Brush and Higgins Black Magic Ink 

Detail of fox lineart

Detail of skater - love what Rachel did with the hair!

Next color...

TD