WIP "The Crazy DogLady"

[hakepe]

A sketch for an illustration I am working on titled "The Crazy DogLady".... ok, it's a selfportrait
Had big challenges pushing the gesture and drawing the dog, this is propobly my 4th or 5th version of it. I googled a lot of references on dogs and dynamic gestures. Next phase, polishing up and coloring.

[JessicaStauffer]

This is really cute! I really love the sketchiness of the linework and the gesture is great! I think its very expressive! Looking forward to seeing the next step!

[hakepe]

@JessicaStauffer Thank you, I really tried to push the gesture on this one.

[Nyrryl Cadiz]

@hakepe i really like the pose. it's fluid and dynamic. i'm excited where you'll take this.

[Coley]

Looking forward to updates! I'm a crazy dog lady too. And I'm loving the gesture in this!

[djlambson]

I love this a lot..very expressive and all those curvy lines look very joyful to me!

[K.Flagg]

Great character design! I love it.

[hakepe]

Thank you @Nyrryl-Cadiz @Coley @djlambson @K-Flagg

[hakepe]

WIP putting down initial color and shading, still not quite finnished.

[hakepe]

Here is the finished version.

[JessicaStauffer]

@hakepe I love how this turned out!

[hakepe]

@JessicaStauffer thank you, this was a lot of fun to paint.

[idid]

Your finished piece looks great!

[hakepe]

@idid thank you

[hakepe]

2 days ago I posted this picture in a group on FB and it got more likes than any picture I have ever made. Almost 600 so far. This may not sound like much, but when posting on instagram I usually only get about 20-40 likes. I also gained about 25 new followers all from the fb group. About 5 people contacted me about doing a commissioned work and it looks like I have two orders for a stylized portrait.

Lesson learned: When posting it is not just about the subject matter, it is also where you post it (where your potential niche audience is).

[JessicaStauffer]

@hakepe That is amazing! Congrats on the commissions and followers, that is super exciting!

[hakepe]

@JessicaStauffer Thank you I am glad to be working on something and gaining more experience.

[Jonathon B Baker 0]

@hakepe That's amazing ! Wow ! First of all I think you nailed the gesture and overall it's a fantastic piece. Second congrats on the success of your FB post. I've been working the Instagram pretty hard and like you I only get about 20-40 likes but not much feedback. What are the FB groups you are part of I am looking for a place other than SVS that I can get some decent critiques.

[hakepe]

@Jonathon-B-Baker-0 Thank you. This was a group for dog owners and they really liked the image. Finding a subject matter and posting at the right place seemed to hit the nail on the head.

There are some other art groups that I am a part of but havent been very active there. I need to have a look at those. FB is down for maintenance right now it seems, so cannot get in right now. Instagram is probobly not the best place for getting feedback. Most people just want to have a quick look around and not spend that much time on a single post.

[Jonathon B Baker 0]

@hakepe Awesome thank you. I'm going to start looking for some good FB groups that seem relevant. Thanks for the heads up.