The Portrait of Black Bulldog Part 1 (Blocking in)New

[@belindafreiheit3989]

I love your style, especially your brushwork! So confident you are setting the tones. Looking forward for part two ❤

[@alexmovchun4525]

Thank you!

[@h0llytr0n]

Wow never would have guessed you start with the darkest bits! I'd be too scared of getting carried away and haveing no shape definition or lines to see! Thanks for sharing :)

[@The_Irish_Artist]

long term fan here! you are the best pet portrait artist ever. I love your use of color. I am still trying to understand how you chose the warm and cool colors. I think I am able to perceive values fairly well but I just cant seem to perceive warm and cool like you. Do you think that you are using your artistic intuition when choosing warmth or coolness or can you actually see it in the photo?

[@alexmovchun4525]

Thank you for your kind words! Color harmony has been a subject of fascination for me for over five years now (and it still intrigues me today). Back then, I was searching for answers on how to properly use warm and cool colors in my work. These days, my approach is to identify two primary colors in a painting before I begin-one warm and one cool. From there, I use other colors to subtly adjust and complement those main tones. This means the exact colors in a reference photo aren’t as important. As long as you have two strong base colors, you can create a portrait in any color scheme, and it will still look realistic. What really helped me grasp this was exploring landscapes, especially through plein air painting. It taught me how colors interact in a way that feels natural and harmonious. Unfortunately, painting solely from photos doesn’t teach you these lessons. Working from real life is essential for understanding how colors behave in different lighting and environments. It’s an experience I’ve found invaluable in improving my art.

[@The_Irish_Artist]

@@alexmovchun4525 thank you that is very helpful. I have not done much plein air but need to do it!