When another member of a colored pencil group I'm in shared her version of this baby donkey, I wanted to attempt my own version for our Christmas cards. My husband said it wasn't "Christmas enough." I attempted to find another image while mentally saying, "Hold my beer! It will be 'Christmas enough' when I'm done!"
Enjoy my journey of the Christmas Donkey.
At this point in my growth, I start all artwork from reference photos with an outline. I create my outlines in Procreate, trace the photo in the app, then print to the desired size. Once it is transferred to the surface/paper I will be drawing/painting it on, I set to work, attempting to mimic what I see in the reference photo. This is what I named Donkey 1.0. Both were done on Strathmore Bristol Velum. Donkey 1.0 was completed with mostly Prismacolor pencils.
As you can see in this first photo of me working on the ears, I turn my artwork all different ways (side-ways, upside-down, right side up, at an angle, etc.) when drawing/painting. For me, it's about being right-handed and liking better to an area wo it's on the right side of the paper. My reference photo is also placed to match the angle I'm drawing. Additionally, rotating your art is supposed to also help the artist focus on the different shapes and tones as opposed to what you're attempting to draw/paint, or at least that's what I've read in the book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.
I just keep adding layers, and explanding this cute little donkey. I'm still very new to colored pencils and Donkey 1.0 may be my 3rd or 4th attempt at colored pencils. I wasn't satisfied with this version. But the ears! I LOVED how they turned out.
After completing Donkey 1.0, I watched several tutorials on YouTube on drawing animals in colored pencil, especially the especially hair (I'll keep better records in the future to share), and then I began Donkey 2.0
This guy was completed with what I understand to be higher quality pencils than Prismacolors: Faber Castell Polychromos, Caran D'ache Luminance, and Derwent Drawing. I love Prismacolors. They are great buttery-smooth pencils, that blend wonderfully. Sadly, I've learned, the company has had a change of hands and quality control isn't how it once was. The leads aren't always centered, and they can be brittle and break easily. There have been questions about lightfastness (how well the colors don't fade). As I never know if any of my artwork will end up in the trash, hidden in my portfolio, or hung on a wall, I have decided to use the highest quality products I can afford.
The links above are Amazon Affiliate links (I earn a tiny commission); I found a great little art shop where I purchased many of these pencils open stock and have been very happy with them. They have great customer service, don't overprice shipping, and process orders quickly. I earn nothing other than the joy of sharing a great resource with fellow artists: Merri Artist.
Recently I got a full set of Faber Castel Polychromos off Ebay - keep an eye out there! Mine were gently used, didn't come with the metal tin, but instead a 124 slot Pencil case from a brand I already have and love!
Shortly after starting Donkey 2.0, I came down with the flu which put me in bed for almost 2 weeks. It was nice to be able to work on this when I needed something other than rest and would draw in bed. There were times I would just move everything to the other side of our bed and nap. Try that with watercolors! This might have sold me on pencils more than anything. The fact that you really can work on pieces just about anywhere, with no true setup or takedown. No clean-up. Just grab your pencils and surface and play. The only drawback with pencils, is they make you do everything. There were a few times I didn't feel like moving everything to bed and I'd sit for a couple of minutes and work on a Donkey 2.0 at my desk. When I got tired, I'd put the pencil down and crawl back in bed.
I would often have NetFlix or random YouTube colored pencil tutorials. One of them (I don't recall who, so can't credit them) stated that to give animal hair a little more realistic look draw bunches of three or four hairs in random directions, but still kind of going the correct direction. This took Donkey 2.0 to the next level.
And then he was done!
Remember how I said I needed this card to be "Christmas enough?" I searched for bible verses that mentioned a donkey and the birth of Jesus and found none. Eventually, I stumbled upon the poem, Just a Little Donkey poem, fell in love, and knew that was what needed to make Donkey 2.0 "Christmas enough" for this past year's Christmas cards!
Donkey 2.0 is on a couple of things in my Northern Swan Art shop, being an artist, I respect the copyrights of others so I couldn't sell the cards with THAT particular poem on them. He can be found on blank cards, spiral notebooks, and stickers. He is also over in my RedBubble Shop where he can be found on all the things!
Hope you enjoyed my journey with my Christmas Donkey
Supplies/tools used:
Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you see something that doesn't have a link to the item.