Adding a Background to a Yellow Labrador

Claire has sent me this picture of a nine month old yellow Labrador using Pastel Pencils and has asked for my help with putting in the background.I would suggest a very light background is put into this picture as Claire has made the dog very light in colour, to put a dark background in would over power the subject. I would use 101 white and rub this well into the pastel paper then add 103 ivory on top of the white to add a little softer tone. I would then use several of the stronger colours used in the picture and blend touches of them into the white/ivory base.As the animal is resting an the floor I would make the lower half of the picture darker still using the same colours and start graduating them from about the area I have indicated with the black line and the arrows. This darkened foreground will contrast nicely with the light face.I hope this helps others when choosing background colours for light coloured animals. If you've found these tips useful then please share your comments below!To learn how to draw dogs using pastel pencils then sign up for membership to Colin Bradley Art where over 70 subjects are available to draw with full tuition.