Colour Blocking - Letting Go & Finding Your Inner Child!
When it comes to drawing pet portraits, there’s a temptation (especially for perfectionists like me!) to get everything just right from the start. Clean lines, controlled shading, and realistic textures are definitely something I pride myself on. But sometimes the best way to create an expressive, characteristic pet portrait is to do the exact opposite! (What?! I hear you say? Stay with me…)
This blog is all about the importance of getting messy, letting go, and embracing your inner child.
What is Colour Blocking?
First of all, for those who aren’t familiar, colour blocking is a technique where you lay down large, simplified shapes of colour before diving into detail. It’s not about being precise or perfect, but it’s about setting the tone and establishing a strong foundation that will actually help you in the long run.
When drawing pets, colour blocking helps you:
Map out shapes and proportions without getting stuck with fur textures or tiny features using tiny pencils with tiny hairs and tiny- you get the idea.
Identify key areas of light and shadow using bold, meaningful strokes and blocks of colour.
Create a sense of energy and movement that detail-focused work can sometimes dampen, for example a dog with a super silky coat will reply more on colour blocking that individual details and techniques.
In the wise word of Elsa - “Let It Go”
We’re conditioned, especially as adults, to draw neatly, stay inside the lines, and clean up as we go. But great art doesn’t come from always being tidy. It comes from taking risks, experimenting, and sometimes making a glorious mess.
When you start a pet portrait with colour blocking, you give yourself permission to:
Work loose and large
Mix unexpected colours
Smudge, blend, and go off-course
Splash, scrape, and scribble
Your instincts will tell you to clean it up. Ignore them. (this is hard, but trust the process!)
Releasing Your Inner Child
Remember how you used to draw when you were younger? Crayons everywhere, fingers covered in paint, absolutely no concern for realism, but straight from the imagination and threw yourself into every line?
That’s the energy colour blocking brings back into your creative process.
When you approach pet portraits with this:
You focus less on “getting it right” and more on feeling the subject.
You start to see your work differently. Not just as a photo reference, but as a character full of energy and feeling.
You connect more deeply with your own creative voice, because you’re finally giving it room to speak.
I’ll Say This Until I’m Blue In The Face (and not from pastel everywhere):Trust the Process!
Here’s the magic: once your blocked-in colours are down and you’ve made peace with the chaos, the real transformation begins.
When you layer detail on top of loose, expressive colour blocks, something incredible happens:
The portrait feels alive and full of motion, texture, and character.
You get depth and richness that tight, controlled work can’t always achieve.
You surprise yourself. The messy beginnings create space for unexpected beauty to emerge.
It actually avoids you using up all your pencils, by blocking with pastels or loose powder
Your instincts might scream at you to clean up, to be neat, to follow the rules. But if you can quiet those voices, grab your chalk, pastels, oils or whatever you use, and just let go, the end result will thank you for it!
Final Thoughts
Creating a pet portrait is not just about capturing a likeness. It’s about capturing spirit, personality, and connection. And sometimes, that means stepping out of the lines, embracing bold colour blocks, and making a BIG BEAUTIFUL MESS.
So next time you sit down to draw, forget perfect. Get messy. Get playful. Get freeeee.
Take a look below at a speed example of colour blocking i’ve recently done. For more examples, visit my social pages:
