Dear Club Copicana Member,

Hope this blog article finds you well.

As I mentioned on Instagram, today I'd like to share the details of the illustration 'Raining Cats and Dogs' I drew.

The reference images for drawing the dogs and cats all came from the Dog and Cat Encyclopedia by DK. Thank you, DK.

As usual, I started by sketching a rough outline with my W1 marker. My focus was on the dogs and cats, so I tried not to look at the sketchbook too much while drawing. Unfortunately, this caused the shapes to get a little distorted, but since I can always hide the lines drawn with the W1 marker as shadows later on, it's not a big issue. The outline drawn with a Black Multiliner can be quite different from the W1 lines, so it's totally fine. The W1 marker is something I rely on quite a bit; I probably use it the most and by far my favourite gray. What's your favorite gray?

After drawing enough dogs and cats to match the pouring rain scene, I used the blue series markers to draw the rain lines with a ruler. When switching to a new color, be sure to wipe the ruler with kitchen paper, plus cleaner (COPIC Various Ink 0 Colorless Blender) if necessary. Otherwise, the colors will mix, which can be a bit tricky. Afterward, I filled in the background with C1. Looking back, I think I should have used an air spray to add the background before drawing the rain lines. The blue lines ended up a bit blurry and slightly smeared, but overall, it gives off the heavy, damp atmosphere of the rain, so I think it turned out okay. Finally, I added more lines with a Cool Gray 0.5mm Multiliner to enhance the rain, cats and dogs falling diagonally. 

Even though I'm still a beginner at illustration, I feel like it somehow came together. I really owe it to Copic markers. I just love them!