Bren Reads to the Raccoon

Acrylic & gouache on board — 18 x 14 in

A mystical forest scene where an anthropomorphic coyote reads to a raccoon.

This was a piece for a client who has developed their own character of an anthropomorphic coyote. They wanted a depiction of their character on an adventure in the woods with a friendly raccoon.

The Process

Step 1: Ideation and Sketching

I had a general sense of this character from my client, but I wanted to make sure I had a solid understanding of this character: his look, his garb, his general aesthetic. So I took to pencil and paper and did some exploratory sketches. I sent these over to my client and got the thumbs up that this was the right direction. I even added a little sketch of a fluffy raccoon.

Exploratory character sketches of an anthropomorphic coyote and a raccoon.
Exploratory character sketches

Step 2: Thumbnails

I made three thumbnails in pencil and sent them to the client. They ended up choosing the second option, with the character reading at a little camp in the forest.

Thumbnail sketch option 1.
Option 1
Thumbnail sketch option 2 — coyote reading at a forest camp.
Option 2
Thumbnail sketch option 3.
Option 3

Step 3: Tight Sketch

I had my thumbnail, so I decided to digitally draw over it and create a more atmospheric value study. After that, I made four color comps and the client chose one. From there, I created a tighter digital sketch in color, which would become my reference for the acrylic final.

Color study option 1.
Option 1
Color study option 2.
Option 2
Color study option 3.
Option 3
Color study option 4.
Option 4
Black and white value study of the forest camp scene.
Value study
Tight digital color sketch of the coyote reading to a raccoon by lantern light.
Tight digital color sketch used as reference for the final painting

Step 4: Line Drawing

With my digital sketch finished, I was ready to move back to traditional media. Right before locking in the drawing, the client requested the raccoon wear a jaunty Robin Hood style hat, which I was able to add on. I printed the sketch out and did a graphite transfer to a piece of illustration board. Then I went over all my lines with technical pen so they would show up well through acrylic washes.

Ink line drawing of the coyote reading to a raccoon, transferred to illustration board.
Finalized line drawing in technical pen

Step 5: Paint

With the line drawing done, I completed a monochrome pass using only black paint, then covered the whole thing in a burnt sienna wash to unify the values. After that it was just a matter of building the actual painting up, working background to foreground, and using some gouache in an airbrush to achieve a halo of light around the lantern.

Early paint stage — monochrome underpainting.
Monochrome underpainting
Mid paint stage — colour being built up.
Colour build-up
Late paint stage — near final painting.
Near final