Prompt: 2025 Golden Retriever Christmas art that can go on a Christmas ornament

Reference: A photo I had on my camera roll.

Material and Cost: $7.25 min wage for one hour, $1 worth of 3in round Magani 1404 cold pressed cotton paper, $30 Arteza Premium gouache paint, $12 Nico watercolor brushes. $5 Gelly Roll pen

Creator Notes: This is my very first time I have attempted to create a dog, and I was only given an hour to do it! The easy option would have been colored pencil, but there is something holiday-like with paint. I changed the bandana to a Christmas bandana, otherwise kept the golden retriever the same.

Prompt: 2025 black and white dog with long hair art that can go on a Christmas ornament

Reference: A photo I had on my camera roll.

Material and Cost: $7.25 min wage for one hour, $1 worth of 3in round Magani 1404 cold pressed cotton paper, $30 Arteza Premium gouache paint, $12 Nico watercolor brushes, $5 Gelly Roll Pen

Creator Notes: This prompt, with the previous one, was purchased at the same time by the same person. Therefore, I assumed they were meant to be a set. That’s why I did the second one with the same medium. I also added a Santa hat to make it festive.

Prompt: An armadillo enjoying a class of sweet tea

Reference: A photo I found online from Critter Control of Orlando, and a picture I took of a glass of water.

Material and Cost: $7.25 min wage for one hour, $0.19 worth of Strathmore colored penncil paper 6x8 100lb, $22.50 Single Prismacolor colored Pencils new, $15 Karisma Canary Yellow Karismacolor Colored Pencil, Berol Warm Gray 50%, Berol Apple Green, $5 Gelly Roll Pen

Creator Notes: When I first got this prompt I considered going ridiculous with it, putting the armadillo in a giant glass of sweet tea, thus enjoying it by swimming in it. I realized that was going to take many reference photos and potentially way longer than my allotted hour. Therefore, I made a realistic armadillo drinking sweet tea from a McDonald’s straw. This took me every moment of my hour to do this! The armadillo took some work!

Prompt: A raccoon, opposum and a skunk decorating a Christmas tree together

Reference: A photo of my own Christmas tree, Skunk on legs found on Pinterest, Raccoon found on the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Website, young opposum found on Reddit.

Material and Cost: $7.25 min wage for one hour, $0.22 worth of Grumbacher Mixed Media 8x8 paper, $4.43 (plus shipping and tariffs) Japanese Sakura Cray-Pas, $50 Gallery (by Mungyo) Artists’ Extra Soft Oil Pastels 72 assorted colors.

Creator Notes: Four prompts in and I am learning how to work within the time constraint. I feel, if my sketch could be done on my own time, I would have ultimately ended up with a three panel image of each animal interacting closer to the Christmas tree. So much is left to chance when practically the entire process is put within one hour.
I was very aware keeping my image to 8x8 would give me enough time to fill the page, but with pastels, I lost the definition I could have given to the animals. Plus, this was really four images.
Given more time- I would have scratched a pattern out in the wall to make it like wallpaper, turned the carpet into wood flooring, and worked more on the lighting.