Sunday, January 25, 2026

From sloppy copy to final tuxedo cat portrait

Sloppy Copy Pencil Sketch
Starring Trixie!

The nearly finished portrait

Vintage Swiss Made Caran Dache pencils

Tiny 6"x6" practice painting!

Happy New Year! To start the new year off I felt it was about time to paint TRIXIE the sassy tuxedo kitty cat from the lovely nordic neighborhood in Norway. I have been drawing small thumbnail sketches on hot press watercolor 4"x6" paper which is absolutely bokehlicious- new word using Bokeh from photography that refers to the soft buttery background of an image. This paper has that feel and I could probably use other mediums to test it out but for now the vintage Caron Dasche color pencils from the past works well. I love my pencils and it was about time to resurrect them and bring them back to life. Step 2 was to actually paint on a surface-so the tiny 6" x 6" practice painting on canvas board turned out just how I imagined with loads of texture from a repurposed painting from the past. I find that the more layers that are added the more interesting the look I am aiming for. The 3rd step in this process was to paint on these ready to hang ALSO repurposed round wall art decor pieces with a sturdy metal ring for hanging that I found at a super bargain! They originally had some word art that said-'too old for that sh*t' or probably more like 'home sweet home'-so instead I sanded, gessoed and painted with acrylics a traditional like pet portrait of her-again there is texture and interest and mystery in her eyes-what in the wild wild world of sports is her brain thinking? What cats do best-not much-but enough to bring me daily joy. 

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