The journey through Lexicon Lands continues! After illustrating the Akita for A and the Bull Terrier for B, it's time to introduce the third featured breed in my Inktober 2026 art challenge: the Cardigan Welsh Corgi!

Known for its large upright ears, short legs, elongated body, and expressive personality, the Cardigan Welsh Corgi brings a distinctive silhouette to this alphabetical collection of dog breed illustrations.

For this drawing, I wanted to capture the breed's recognizable features using traditional black-and-white illustration techniques, grayscale shading, and carefully placed acrylic paint pen highlights.

Meet Drawing #3: The Cardigan Welsh Corgi

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a historic herding breed originating in Wales. Despite its short stature, this breed was developed for working with livestock and is known for its intelligence, sturdy build, and energetic nature.

One of its most recognizable features is its large, rounded, upright ears, which give the breed an alert and expressive appearance.

In my illustration, I chose a seated pose with the Corgi facing forward while its body extends toward the side.

This composition emphasizes the dog's expressive face, prominent ears, short legs, and elongated body.

The darker coat markings contrast against the lighter chest and front legs, allowing the grayscale shading to establish the dog's form without using a full range of colors.

Creating the Artwork: From Pencil to Ink

Like the other drawings in my Inktober 2026 collection, this illustration began with traditional art materials.

Step 1: Sketching with Mechanical Pencil

I began with a mechanical pencil to establish the Corgi's overall proportions, including its large ears, compact legs, and long torso.

A kneaded eraser helped refine the sketch and prepare it for the inking stage.

Step 2: Building Grayscale Shading

Using a watercolor brush, I applied grayscale shading throughout the illustration.

The darker areas of the ears, face, and body contrast with the lighter portions of the coat, helping create depth and dimension.

Step 3: Adding Ink with a Dip Pen

Once the sketch was established, I used ink and a dip pen to develop the outlines and smaller details.

The dark linework defines the Corgi's facial features, paws, coat markings, and overall silhouette.

Step 4: Acrylic Paint Pen Highlights

To finish the illustration, I used an acrylic paint pen for additional outlines and highlights.

These lighter marks emphasize details around the ears, face, shoulders, and body while adding contrast against the darker shading.

The finished artwork combines traditional ink techniques with expressive grayscale details and the natural texture of the paper.

One Original Artwork, Six Dog Breeds

Something different about my Inktober 2026 challenge is how I'm organizing the original drawings.

Rather than creating every breed on a separate sheet of paper, I'm grouping several illustrations together.

The physical original containing this Cardigan Welsh Corgi illustration also includes five other breeds representing the letters B through G:

• B – Bull Terrier

• C – Cardigan Welsh Corgi

• D – Dalmatian

• E – English Bulldog

• F – Flat-Coated Retriever

• G – German Shepherd

These six drawings belong to one larger original artwork rather than six individually available originals.

However, each breed will have its own art print, allowing collectors to enjoy their favorite illustrations separately.

For the Cardigan Welsh Corgi print, I've used a cropped version of the illustration without the rectangular border of the physical original.

Shop the Cardigan Welsh Corgi Art Print

If you love Cardigan Welsh Corgis or enjoy traditional dog illustrations, you can explore this artwork as an individual art print through The Artistic Shepherd.

Inktober 2026 – C Is for Cardigan Welsh Corgi

This print preserves the expressive linework, grayscale shading, acrylic highlights, and visible paper texture of the original drawing.

What Is Lexicon Lands?

For Inktober 2026, I decided to create an alphabetical collection of dog breed illustrations called Lexicon Lands.

The challenge features 26 dog breeds, one for every letter of the alphabet, plus a special 27th illustration featuring Valor the Swiss Shepherd.

Each breed provides an opportunity to explore different canine characteristics, coat patterns, body proportions, and expressions through traditional drawing techniques.

But Lexicon Lands is more than an art challenge.

I'm also planning to use these illustrations as inspiration for a collection of Lexicon Lands playing cards, giving the drawings another creative purpose beyond the original Inktober series.

Continuing the Alphabet

With A for Akita, B for Bull Terrier, and C for Cardigan Welsh Corgi, the first three breeds of Lexicon Lands are represented!

The next breed in the alphabetical lineup is D for Dalmatian, bringing another recognizable dog with a completely different coat pattern into the collection.

As the challenge continues, I'll be sharing more artwork, creative processes, and individual art prints.

Final Thoughts

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi may have short legs, but its personality and distinctive appearance make it an excellent subject for traditional dog illustration.

I particularly enjoyed working with the contrast between the darker coat markings and lighter portions of the drawing, using ink, grayscale shading, and acrylic paint pen highlights to bring the Corgi to life.

Thank you for following along with my Inktober 2026 journey through Lexicon Lands!

Until next time, keep creating and celebrating the wonderful world of dogs!

— Justyn Simon
The Artistic Shepherd