Use a good quality watercolour paper and start to lay out your drawing. At this stage it is possible to make adjustments to the dogs you are putting into the painting. Try not to get too much graphite onto the paper as it is greasy and stops the watercolour flowing onto the paper.

Example of White Dog painting

Always start by painting the most distant objects in the painting and work forward.

Paint can always be darkened so start with the colour paler than you think you want it to be. Leave areas white that you want to stay white. White paint should not normally be used.

To paint a white dog, paint the shadows. A black dog would be affected by the colour of the sky or the objects around it.

If you are painting a portrait the most important part of the painting is the eyes.