Treating Myself Like a Dog

 

12/31/25 Sketched from mirror

When I looked at my social media feeds on the last day of 2025, several friends had posted self-portraits. Then my own Facebook “memories” showed me selfies I had drawn on previous New Year’s Eves. How could I forego that tradition?

Since I’ve been training myself to sketch pet portraits more efficiently, I decided it was time to treat myself like a dog. I used exactly the same process as I did with every labradoodle, terrier and Chihuahua I sketched during Pencilvember: First I spent some time on the eyes with a bit of care, and then I shaded in the rest of the face and hair relatively quickly. I used a rainbow pencil for the early line work, then did the color with a few preselected Derwent Drawing pencils. I spent more than the 20 minutes I gave myself for pet portraits (alas, vanity is still a factor with selfies), but overall, it was less laborious than most self-portraits I’ve drawn.

I figure that if I have the courage to sketch (and share!) a self-portrait, I have everything I need to face whatever challenges the new year brings.