Snoopy's painting progress

Snoopy has asked me to do a portrait of him and his two pups as a mother's day present! I decided to do it in a style that I haven't done since college, but one that I have been meaning to get back into. Basically there are two steps to it, the first is to paint the entire image in black and white, and then use washes of color to build up the skin tones (and in this case fur tones too!) The color wash process is very similar in technique and appearance to watercolor except that I will be using acrylic cut with some flow release medium and water instead of using tube watercolors.

At this point, I have pretty much finished w/ snoopy's face (aside from some minor detailing) and am blocking in his two dogs today. Over the next little bit, I will be finishing up the dogs/ snoopy's torso and then adding the color. I am hoping to have it in the mail by early next week, leaving plenty of time to present on mothers day!

The lighting is a little poor in this pic, and as such the colors are a little dull here. I hope you like it Snoopy, more pics tonight!