Pet Portrait from photo in colored pencil of Blu, a dalmation

Here are the originals. I'll take the red-eye out and use the second picture for a better reference for his handsome face!

Pet Portrait of Blu in Colored Pencil, Watercolor

Click above image for a larger version.
Blu is so handsome looking out at us! I've given depth to the background and his body with shading and played up the contours on his face. I took out his collar because it competed with his spots and became distracting. I think he's (almost) done! This image is cropped to the 10x8 size.
Blu is coming along! I'll even out the background and add lots of shadows on his fur next.
The initial sketch! I'm going to give Blu a dark blue background to make him really stand out!