Dog Anatomy 3

So, I fall afoul of deadline dates once again.  I had to submit my work on the canine Anatomicae contest this morning - and I don't feel like I've finished my final piece.  However, isn't the cliche "when do artists actually feel like they've finished?"  Truthfully, there have been some pieces that I really do feel have been completed.  But, this is no where near one of them.

Some WIP shots.

Color blocking in the silhouette and choosing some colors to work from

Basic shading added

adding in a very rough background and refining the shading - her paw looks amputated right now

tried to work on her eyes and the paws.  Got some reflected light going on, but it's not quite there.

The image itself is still very rough - blocky shading and such.  Her eyes aren't quite right, and the background is atrocious.  But, this is where I got to in two weeks time, while also working and doing the paper mache eye, etc. 

The contest itself required a pose that showed all four legs.  I wasn't completely aware of that when I did my anatomy sketches... But I do plan on including the anatomy for this pose as well, when I get the time.  Perhaps in between paper mache layers?

- SH

Dog Anatomy 2

So, I'm back again with some more canine anatomy studies.  Today was also a study in the adage 'save often' - Photoshop crashed and took my entire skeleton and muscle system with it.  Go figure.  But, I recreated it in a much rougher form and I'm still going to share it.  These studies will eventually be turned into an actual dog.  I'm torn between an action pose and the sleeping pose for the final piece.

Sketching from a photo of Oshie.  Rough sketch.

 

Refined the rough sketch just a bit.

 

Grabbed some more skull references in addition to Ellengerger's Animal Anatomy book and drew in the skull.  Nothing was in the exact right pose, but I'm feeling a little better about canine skulls in general now.

 

I started to rough in the rest of the skeleton.  This is the last stage I had saved before the crash.  I ended losing all of the finished skeleton and most of the muscles.

 

 A much rougher overall skeleton to replace what I had lost.

 

A 15 minute color study of the skull.

 

A very fast muscle study again.

 

I'm just about ready to move on to a final pose.

Dog anatomy

I'm doing a series of images right now with canine anatomy.  Here are some of the sketches I've done today.  The first two are done by observing An Atlas of Animal Anatomy for Artists - a book that I haven't done enough studies out of yet.  Then, I started to sketch my dog, Oshie.  I topped it off with different rapid positions of her both in repose and in action.  Finally, I tried to lay in the proper skeleton in one of her action poses.  The angle was a little strange, so I may need to revist that one as I continue.

Ellenberger pose study - bones

 

Ellenberger pose study - muscles

 

Oshie face head on

 

Oshie face - looking up

 

Oshie studies - laying down

 

Oshie studies - action

 

Action pose - bone placement

  

Action pose - bone with color

 

Action pose - muscles 

(EDIT - I forgot to add the skeleton and muscles sketches to Oshie's 'action' pose)