A long time ago, I foolishly accepted a commission to paint a portrait of someone's ailing dog. Later, that dog passed. I tried and tried to paint a suitable portrait, but I just kept failing. The photos that had been provided for reference were gorgeous, the lighting was phenomenal, and the dog's personality really seemed to shine through. I wanted so badly to do him justice.
But sadly, my skills were not up to par with what I envisioned for this portrait.
Now the sketch sits temporarily abandoned, waiting for me to catch up with it.

This is step one in that process. I've traced this drawing a few times, as well as some other simple drawings I've had laying around. I'm going to be practicing lots of things, lighting, shading, color theory, the behavior of the paint, until I'm satisfied that I can paint that portrait and make it the best work I've done to date.

Dirty scan, complete lack of composition, but you can see what I'm driving at. A wee French bull dog, entirely in red, cut out with a straight razor blade.