A Royal Pet Portrait

Portrait of Simba, 14"x11", watercolor, ink, gold leaf, and paper on Aquabord

I recently made this pet portrait commission of Simba the greyhound. I recorded the entire process and have posted videos on YouTube:

Part 1 (the drawing)

Part 2 (the painting)

Part 3 (the gilding)

I'll have Part 4 (collage) up early this week.

I first sketched out several ideas and researched portraits of renaissance men. Then I transferred the final design to the Aquabord using transfer paper and a stylus, and lined the drawing with India ink. Next I painted Simba with watercolor and applied metal leaf size to the jewelry, trim, and crown. After applying and burnishing the metal leaf, I sealed it with a water-based metal leaf sealer. The next step was to create templates by tracing the drawing with tracing paper, then use the tracing paper templates to cut pieces of fine paper. I use q-tips to apply Yes! Paste to small areas and paper towels for large areas. After pasting and allowing to dry, I coated the paper with an acid-free matte sealer.