How to Draw a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has a prestigious connection to some of the world's greatest artists. According to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, modern Spaniels descend from the Spaniels in 16th, 17th, and 18th century paintings by Titian, Van Dyck, Lely, Stubbs, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Romney. (See References 1) While it would be ambitious to try to replicate the style of these master painters, with a little practice you can make a pencil drawing that captures the spirit and likeness of your favorite Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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Instructions
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Instructions
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1
Collect several sharp, detailed photographs of your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Since it's impossible to get a dog to sit still for any length of time, working from photographs is the most practical approach. Work from a close-up view of the dog's face or a wider shot of the full figure. If you're drawing a full figure image, you'll still want some detailed close-ups for reference.
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Make black-and-white copies of your photographs. Use these as references to help you interpret the image in monochrome, to visualize the range of light, medium and dark tones.
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3
Decide if you want your drawing to be vertical or horizontal. Plan your composition by making a few thumbnail sketches. Thumbnail sketches are quick, small, rudimentary line drawings.
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4
Lightly pencil in the outline of your composition on your drawing paper using a hard pencil. Hard pencils are for making fine, light marks--soft pencils are reserved for darker shading. An HB pencil is the hardest. After the HB, pencils are graded by number, ranging from 2B (hardest) to 8B (softest).
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Continue lightly sketching in the dog's features and body parts. At this point you're mapping out the shapes, not depicting light or texture. Pay attention to proportion--the size of the ears in relation to the head, the eyes in relation to the nose.
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Begin shading, adding subtle layers of tone all over the drawing with a soft pencil. Shading creates the illusion of three-dimensional form. Darker shades create depth while light areas pop forward. King Charles Cavalier Spaniels have deep set eyes which can be suggested by building up shadow around the eyes.
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Step back and look at your drawing from a distance to see if you've captured the dog's form. Determine if any shading needs to be adjusted and make corrections.
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Begin adding textural details like fur and whiskers using a hard pencil. Use fine curved strokes to suggest the Spaniel's silky coat. Don't try to draw in every hair--it will look overworked. A few key details will create the illusion of texture.
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Add highlights using your eraser to remove small areas of dark tones. This is particularly effective on the eyes. Remove just a small dot of of tone in each eye to instantly illuminate the dog's expression.
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10
Step back and observe if your drawing needs any further adjustments.
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Tips & Warnings
Scan your drawing and have the images printed as greeting cards, notes and stickers.
Protect your drawing by framing it with archival materials and UV-filtering glass.
