Caroline did a rough sketch in acrylic paint of the Labrador, then mixed colours rather than using black. She looked for colours which were picked up in the sheen from the surroundings, green and red to give it depth.
Make it stand out rather than a boring photo.
Blocked in all the dark areas first, mix of blue, yellow, red, then the mid shades and finally the details of the lighter colours which you can over lay with acrylic.
The older and bristlier and uneven the brush the better, follow lines of the fur, lots of flicking strokes. Paint needs to be quite fluid so quite a bit of water. Details afterwards with a rigger brush and she did use true black to outline the nose, and only a little yellow in the white.
