This is a brand new series I’ve been working on and I’m really excited about it!

I’ve been calling them “DOGuerreotypes” in my head, because Daguerreotypes are an early type of photography that you see in the vintage photos from the late 1800s and I was inspired by those and used them for reference. But I may use other animals and other periods of time, so that name might not always fit, and I’m not sure how many people know the word either. So… I’ll be working on name ideas for the series...

I was already working on sketches for this series, but wasn’t quite sure if they would be paintings or drawings. Then I happened to catch a demo that CF Payne did for the Visual Arts Passage, and I loved his technique and results! I adapted it a bit for my needs. It starts with a graphite drawing on coffee-dyed watercolor paper. Then texture is added by rolling on Liquitex Ultra Matte Medium tinted with some dark brown acrylic paint. After it dries, the surface has a LOT of tooth and takes colored pencils and acrylic inks or paints really well. Then it’s just a matter of working to bring out the highlights and deepen the shadows. 

Original is 8” by 10", graphite, acrylic, and colored pencil on paper mounted to hardboard.

Prints are available in my Etsy shop:

If you would like to get a closer look at the process and support my work so that I can continue making work like this, please consider joining me on Patreon for as little as $2/month. https://www.patreon.com/marcibrinker