Emily's Finished Portrait
01 November, 2010
I'm finished moving into my new studio and getting ready to take a few months off to have my baby. Before I do, I wanted to show Emily's finished portrait. Emily is a lovely Chow mix from California. After combining photos in a sketch and painting her face and body, I began to shade in a blue background. When choosing a background color, I find it's helpful to start with a gradient of color (in this case, white and Ultramarine Blue) and see what shade works best before proceeding. In this case, the lighter blue worked better with Emily's coat.
The wonderful thing about acrylic paints is that it's so easy to paint over other layers when making adjustments. A drying time of 20 minutes or so is all that's needed. I applied a shaded lighter blue to the whole background.
Emily needed some final adjustments to improve the likeness. Because I changed the shoulder pose of the original photo, I had to look at some sitting poses of Emily to get her neck and shoulders right. I slimmed down her neck and defined her shoulders by painting over the edges with the blue background paint. Next, I touched up the edges of her shoulders to make them darker and more three-dimensional. Here's Emily's finished portrait:
The wonderful thing about acrylic paints is that it's so easy to paint over other layers when making adjustments. A drying time of 20 minutes or so is all that's needed. I applied a shaded lighter blue to the whole background.
Emily needed some final adjustments to improve the likeness. Because I changed the shoulder pose of the original photo, I had to look at some sitting poses of Emily to get her neck and shoulders right. I slimmed down her neck and defined her shoulders by painting over the edges with the blue background paint. Next, I touched up the edges of her shoulders to make them darker and more three-dimensional. Here's Emily's finished portrait:
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Emily in Progress
01 September, 2010
I'm working on a portrait of Emily:
In this portrait, I'm bringing a black and white photo into color. I did this once before in a portrait of a woman a few years ago. Since Emily has yellow tones in her coat, I started with a purple underpainting:
Next, I painted the golden tones over top. I used Yellow Ochre, Titan Buff and a bit of Burnt Umber mixed with white. When I converted the original sketch to a headshot pose, I realized that I needed to adjust some things as I went. I started with her eyes looking too small, since the sketch didn't really capture the dark areas around her eyes. The face also looks too wide due to the original pose, so I painted over some of the layers around her face. Later, these will be covered completely by the background.
Once I fixed the edges of the eyes and added the black under her nose, the portrait started to look more like Emily. Here she is with more layers of yellow and brown:
I added the tongue and refined the dark areas in her eyebrows with more layers. Next, I'll start on the finer detail to bring out the texture of her fur.
In this portrait, I'm bringing a black and white photo into color. I did this once before in a portrait of a woman a few years ago. Since Emily has yellow tones in her coat, I started with a purple underpainting:
Next, I painted the golden tones over top. I used Yellow Ochre, Titan Buff and a bit of Burnt Umber mixed with white. When I converted the original sketch to a headshot pose, I realized that I needed to adjust some things as I went. I started with her eyes looking too small, since the sketch didn't really capture the dark areas around her eyes. The face also looks too wide due to the original pose, so I painted over some of the layers around her face. Later, these will be covered completely by the background.
Once I fixed the edges of the eyes and added the black under her nose, the portrait started to look more like Emily. Here she is with more layers of yellow and brown:
I added the tongue and refined the dark areas in her eyebrows with more layers. Next, I'll start on the finer detail to bring out the texture of her fur.
Dachshund Portrait, Finished
02 August, 2010
I'm finished my portrait of Dogster contest winner Bear, a beautiful rescued senior dachshund. Dogster's contest on the Dog Blog paid tribute to senior dogs. Here's Bear's finished painting:
I tried to capture the lovely white "frosting" on Bear's face, which is visible in the original photo. Here's a 2 minute video of Bear's painting from start to finish:
At about 0:52 you can see a closeup of Bear's eyes being painted. I'll be posting progress shots with detailed descriptions soon. Congratulations Bear!
I tried to capture the lovely white "frosting" on Bear's face, which is visible in the original photo. Here's a 2 minute video of Bear's painting from start to finish:
At about 0:52 you can see a closeup of Bear's eyes being painted. I'll be posting progress shots with detailed descriptions soon. Congratulations Bear!
Dachshund Portrait in Progress
29 June, 2010
I'm back from traveling and I've been working on my portrait of Bear the dachshund from Dogster. Here are Bear's original photos:
I experimented with several poses, and decided on a square headshot portrait. I made a quick sketch of Bear, then transferred my sketch to the canvas and began filling in the underlying layers of her coat.
I've been filming video of the process, which I will post as a speed painting when the painting is done. I've posted some stills from the video below.
I almost always use a purple or pink underpainting to bring out the depth in dogs' coats. For Bear, I used a mixture of Dioxazine Purple and Violet Oxide, which is a brownish purple. I marked in the areas of high contrast around her face, and begin painting in her eyes and nose.
After mapping in the overall proportions of her face, I made a brown mixture for her fur. This mixture will almost completely cover the purple, leaving only hints of it behind, but the purple layer also serves as guide for me so I don't distort the proportions.
With the brown and light areas mapped in, I started on the detail. This early stage of the painting should be done very quickly, with a big brush, so you don't get carried away with details. The idea is to map out the whole figure first, then start on detail.
Now that the overall shape of Bear's face is blocked in, I will switch to a smaller brush and begin work on her eyes.
I experimented with several poses, and decided on a square headshot portrait. I made a quick sketch of Bear, then transferred my sketch to the canvas and began filling in the underlying layers of her coat.
I've been filming video of the process, which I will post as a speed painting when the painting is done. I've posted some stills from the video below.
I almost always use a purple or pink underpainting to bring out the depth in dogs' coats. For Bear, I used a mixture of Dioxazine Purple and Violet Oxide, which is a brownish purple. I marked in the areas of high contrast around her face, and begin painting in her eyes and nose.
After mapping in the overall proportions of her face, I made a brown mixture for her fur. This mixture will almost completely cover the purple, leaving only hints of it behind, but the purple layer also serves as guide for me so I don't distort the proportions.
With the brown and light areas mapped in, I started on the detail. This early stage of the painting should be done very quickly, with a big brush, so you don't get carried away with details. The idea is to map out the whole figure first, then start on detail.
Now that the overall shape of Bear's face is blocked in, I will switch to a smaller brush and begin work on her eyes.
Finished Dog Painting with Video
03 May, 2010
I'm finished my portrait of Little Ann, the cute Chow mix from last month. Here she is:
I filmed video of the process and sped it up into a very quick speed painting video. You can see the whole painting from start to finish:
The Dogster Dog Blog recently ran a contest celebrating older dogs. I'll be donating a 16"x20" custom portrait to the winner. Today on the Dog Blog, you can see a selection of the beautiful stories and photos that people have submitted. More photos and stories will follow this week. A winner will be drawn at random next Monday, and I'm looking forward to painting their portrait.
I filmed video of the process and sped it up into a very quick speed painting video. You can see the whole painting from start to finish:
The Dogster Dog Blog recently ran a contest celebrating older dogs. I'll be donating a 16"x20" custom portrait to the winner. Today on the Dog Blog, you can see a selection of the beautiful stories and photos that people have submitted. More photos and stories will follow this week. A winner will be drawn at random next Monday, and I'm looking forward to painting their portrait.
Chow Portrait in Progress
23 April, 2010
I'm nearly finished my portrait of Little Ann. I've been filming the painting and will have a video to post when the painting is complete.
Little Ann has a sandy colored coat with a lot of depth to it. I started by painting in my usual purple-toned underpainting. For Little Ann, I used rusty undertones around the ears and nose. Here's a still from the video, with my easel in the background:
Next, I painted in the high-contrast areas of her face using black and dark brown. Once I was happy with the overall size and positioning of her features, I started on the fur texture. Up to this point, it's wise to use a medium to large brush and work quickly, so you don't get bogged down in details.
With fur and hair, I find it's easiest to paint in the darkest tones first and add lighter layers on top for a three-dimensional look. I added lighter and darker layers while the paint was still wet, so that I could adjust the blending in. Too much blending will result in a flat look, so don't overdo it. With acrylics, it's helpful to add a bit of blending medium (also called retarder) to your paint to slow the drying time.
I added some whiter areas around her eyebrows, and darker areas around her ears. Here's my portrait of Little Ann, just before adding the background:
Little Ann has a sandy colored coat with a lot of depth to it. I started by painting in my usual purple-toned underpainting. For Little Ann, I used rusty undertones around the ears and nose. Here's a still from the video, with my easel in the background:
Next, I painted in the high-contrast areas of her face using black and dark brown. Once I was happy with the overall size and positioning of her features, I started on the fur texture. Up to this point, it's wise to use a medium to large brush and work quickly, so you don't get bogged down in details.
With fur and hair, I find it's easiest to paint in the darkest tones first and add lighter layers on top for a three-dimensional look. I added lighter and darker layers while the paint was still wet, so that I could adjust the blending in. Too much blending will result in a flat look, so don't overdo it. With acrylics, it's helpful to add a bit of blending medium (also called retarder) to your paint to slow the drying time.
I added some whiter areas around her eyebrows, and darker areas around her ears. Here's my portrait of Little Ann, just before adding the background:
Chow Portrait Sketch
09 April, 2010
I'm working on a portrait of Little Ann, a Chow mix. I'm going to be painting a simple head-shot portrait that captures her unique face. Here's the original photo:
I made a simple line drawing to verify the pose. I think I'll add Little Ann's collar to the painting.
The Dogster Dog Blog is running a contest right now to celebrate older dogs. I'll be donating the prize: a custom 16x20 portrait of the winner. I'm not involved in the selection, which will be determined by a random draw, but I'm excited to paint the winning dog. You need to be a member of Dogster to enter, but anyone can join for free. To read the rules and enter, visit the contest thread and submit a photo and story:
Dogblog Old Dogs Contest
The contest ends on April 25, and I'll be featuring the winner's portrait on this blog. Good luck!
I made a simple line drawing to verify the pose. I think I'll add Little Ann's collar to the painting.
The Dogster Dog Blog is running a contest right now to celebrate older dogs. I'll be donating the prize: a custom 16x20 portrait of the winner. I'm not involved in the selection, which will be determined by a random draw, but I'm excited to paint the winning dog. You need to be a member of Dogster to enter, but anyone can join for free. To read the rules and enter, visit the contest thread and submit a photo and story:
Dogblog Old Dogs Contest
The contest ends on April 25, and I'll be featuring the winner's portrait on this blog. Good luck!
Finished Pug Portrait with Video
04 February, 2010
I'm finished my portrait of the beautiful Sandy. I filmed a video of the process and sped it up into a two-minute time lapse painting set to music. You'll recognize the music from the awesome ballet scene with the hippos and alligators in the original Fantasia movie from 1940. I loved it when I was a little kid and used to dance to it on my rebounder in front of the TV.
I've been working on making my videos faster and shorter, and I trimmed this one down to a lean 1:54 to fit the music. What do you think of the shorter lengths of my videos? If you've got an opinion, leave a comment at the bottom of the post. Here's the video:
Next, I painted in the basic colors and shapes of the background, and made some slight adjustments to her body.
Finally, I added the contours in her bed to make her look like she's sinking in a little bit. To make the contours I added alternating lines of light and dark blues and whites from my sidemix. I wrote her name on her tag with my tiny detail brush. Here's the finished portrait:
There's a summary of the whole process in the new portrait demo section on my main site.
I've been working on making my videos faster and shorter, and I trimmed this one down to a lean 1:54 to fit the music. What do you think of the shorter lengths of my videos? If you've got an opinion, leave a comment at the bottom of the post. Here's the video:
Next, I painted in the basic colors and shapes of the background, and made some slight adjustments to her body.
Finally, I added the contours in her bed to make her look like she's sinking in a little bit. To make the contours I added alternating lines of light and dark blues and whites from my sidemix. I wrote her name on her tag with my tiny detail brush. Here's the finished portrait:
There's a summary of the whole process in the new portrait demo section on my main site.
Pug Portrait in Progress
03 February, 2010
I've been working on my portrait of Sandy the Pug. Sandy has such a great smile. I'm creating a video of Sandy's progress, and I've taken several stills from the video to show the painting in action. However, there's no progress on me learning to keep my big head out of the shot...
Here's the pink and purple underpainting:
Next, I painted in the blackest areas on her face. Portraits always look so strange without the eyes painted in.
Next, I started on her fur. I used a mixture of mostly Titan Buff, with a bit of Burnt Umber mixed in in places to make it darker. I thinned it out so that the purple would show through slightly.
I used my smaller round brush to work on the details of her face some more. The likeness is getting better now. I added her purple collar. I've roughed in the details in her body, but I'm going to paint in the background before doing any detail on the paws.
Here's the pink and purple underpainting:
Next, I painted in the blackest areas on her face. Portraits always look so strange without the eyes painted in.
Next, I started on her fur. I used a mixture of mostly Titan Buff, with a bit of Burnt Umber mixed in in places to make it darker. I thinned it out so that the purple would show through slightly.
I used my smaller round brush to work on the details of her face some more. The likeness is getting better now. I added her purple collar. I've roughed in the details in her body, but I'm going to paint in the background before doing any detail on the paws.
Sandy the Pug - Sketch
21 January, 2010
I've been commissioned to paint a portrait of Sandy - a Pug, and one of my fellow Canadians. Here's Sandy:
I'll be adjusting this photo a bit to reflect Sandy's characteristic pose and look. In my rough pose sketch, I tilted her head to the side and adjusted her legs and backside to capture the way she usually sits. I did this by using my new Photoshop skills to combine several photos of Sandy. On the left is her characteristic sitting pose, in the middle is her head tilt, and on the right is a reference photo that includes her feet, since they are cropped out of the other pictures. Isn't she cute?
In Photoshop, I combined characteristics from each photo. I selected the areas I wanted to copy, cleaned up the edges using the Magic Wand Tool, and then selected the white area around the body part. I then used the Inverse Selection command to select the body part with a transparent background. I then copied the selected area and pasted her face from the first picture and paws onto the body photo. I used the Free Transform command to scale the pasted layers to the appropriate size and angle, and then selected Merge Visible Layers to collapse the image into one layer.
Here's the sketch I made from my combination of reference photos:
As usual with my portrait sketches, this is just a rough line drawing to check the pose, so it doesn't look like Sandy yet. Now that I'm happy with the pose, I can get started on the painting. This portrait reminds me a bit of my painting of Fig Newton a few years ago.
I'll be adjusting this photo a bit to reflect Sandy's characteristic pose and look. In my rough pose sketch, I tilted her head to the side and adjusted her legs and backside to capture the way she usually sits. I did this by using my new Photoshop skills to combine several photos of Sandy. On the left is her characteristic sitting pose, in the middle is her head tilt, and on the right is a reference photo that includes her feet, since they are cropped out of the other pictures. Isn't she cute?
In Photoshop, I combined characteristics from each photo. I selected the areas I wanted to copy, cleaned up the edges using the Magic Wand Tool, and then selected the white area around the body part. I then used the Inverse Selection command to select the body part with a transparent background. I then copied the selected area and pasted her face from the first picture and paws onto the body photo. I used the Free Transform command to scale the pasted layers to the appropriate size and angle, and then selected Merge Visible Layers to collapse the image into one layer.
Here's the sketch I made from my combination of reference photos:
As usual with my portrait sketches, this is just a rough line drawing to check the pose, so it doesn't look like Sandy yet. Now that I'm happy with the pose, I can get started on the painting. This portrait reminds me a bit of my painting of Fig Newton a few years ago.
Sheltie Portrait Video
21 November, 2009
I'm all finished my portrait of Binx, the sheltie from Dogster. Binx won his portrait in a contest on the Dog Blog. Here's the finished portrait:
Binx's mom suggested a burgundy background, and I think it looks good with his coat colors.
I filmed video of the painting from start to finish, and sped it up into a 3-minute "speed painting" with music. If you want to see the video in higher resolution, I recommend clicking on the YouTube icon on the bottom right of the window, which will take you to the video in YouTube. Then click on the HQ option on the bottom right. Here's the video:
Binx's mom suggested a burgundy background, and I think it looks good with his coat colors.
I filmed video of the painting from start to finish, and sped it up into a 3-minute "speed painting" with music. If you want to see the video in higher resolution, I recommend clicking on the YouTube icon on the bottom right of the window, which will take you to the video in YouTube. Then click on the HQ option on the bottom right. Here's the video:
Foster's Finished Portrait
06 November, 2009
I've finished my portrait of Foster the Boxer. Here's the finished portrait:
I filmed the painting from start to finish and sped it up into a 3-minute speed painting. I painted the portrait over several sessions, but made sure to wear the same shirt and use the same lighting so it would look seamless. I recommend watching the video in High Quality (HQ) by clicking on the YouTube icon in the bottom corner and selecting HQ on the bottom right of the controls.
I filmed the painting from start to finish and sped it up into a 3-minute speed painting. I painted the portrait over several sessions, but made sure to wear the same shirt and use the same lighting so it would look seamless. I recommend watching the video in High Quality (HQ) by clicking on the YouTube icon in the bottom corner and selecting HQ on the bottom right of the controls.
Sheltie Portrait - Binx
29 October, 2009
Dogster dog Binx is the winner of the Dogster Dog Blog dog portrait contest! Here's Binx, a Sheltie and Service Dog:
I'll be painting Binx in a head-shot pose, so I made two head-shot sketches:
Once we've made the final decision on the sketch, I'll start painting Binx and filming video of the process.
I'll be painting Binx in a head-shot pose, so I made two head-shot sketches:
Once we've made the final decision on the sketch, I'll start painting Binx and filming video of the process.
Boxer Portrait Sketch
27 October, 2009
I'm working on a portrait of a boxer named Foster. I made two sketches of Foster in different head shot poses, and decided on the side profile. I like the cute markings on his mouth and nose.
An Unexpected Tribute
16 October, 2009
I heard today about the sad passing of a friend's dog. It reminded me of a strange and meaningful aspect of one of my paintings that I discovered long after I had finished it.
Last year, my in-laws lost their yellow lab to cancer. I loved him like he was family, and he was even in my wedding party. I was with him when he passed and I still miss him. He was the first dog I ever painted, long before I became a professional artist:
In the last few weeks of his illness, I was thinking about him a lot while I worked on my paintings. One of my current commissions was of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon.
I didn't notice this until after I had shipped the painting, but many people pointed out that you can see his face in the rock:
Last year, my in-laws lost their yellow lab to cancer. I loved him like he was family, and he was even in my wedding party. I was with him when he passed and I still miss him. He was the first dog I ever painted, long before I became a professional artist:
In the last few weeks of his illness, I was thinking about him a lot while I worked on my paintings. One of my current commissions was of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, Oregon.
I didn't notice this until after I had shipped the painting, but many people pointed out that you can see his face in the rock:
Jolanda's Painting Video
30 September, 2009
This is my new painting video of Jolanda, an Australian Cattle Dog from Dogster. Jolanda is a very talented service dog. You can click on the video to view it in HQ mode in YouTube, or keep reading below to see detail shots of Jolanda's painting in progress.
Read the rest of this post...
Read the rest of this post...
Mollie's Painting Video
09 June, 2009
I've finished my portrait of Mollie, the winner of the Dog Blog's photo contest on Dogster. For the first time, I filmed the painting from start to finish. I sped up the footage into an 8 minute "speed painting" and posted it on YouTube. Check it out:
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Sabrina and Ollie's Finished Portrait
20 May, 2009
Mollie the Bloodhound - Sketch
15 May, 2009
I've made a sketch of Mollie for her portrait. Mollie's mom and I chose this photo of her:
Here's my sketch of Mollie:
Three Dogs at the Park, Finished Portrait
10 May, 2009
I'm finished my portrait of Copper, Kensy and Logan. I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I painted in Copper and Logan first, but Kensy was more of a challenge. With the help of Kensy's mom and some additional photos, I made small changes to the original until I got a good likeness.
Here's the finished portrait, and a closeup of Kensy:
Congratulations Mollie!
05 May, 2009
Mollie is the winner of Dogster's Picture Perfect photo contest on the Dog Blog. Mollie is a rescued Bloodhound/Pointer mix from Ontario, Canada, and she beat over 100 other entrants. What a great smile!
Bernese Mountain Dog in Progress
19 April, 2009
I've been working on my portrait of Copper, Logan and Kensy. I began with Copper and then painted Logan. Here's Copper and Logan together:
Sabrina's Pit Bull Portrait
18 March, 2009
I'm working on my portrait of Sabrina and Ollie. I worked on Ollie last week, and now I'm adding Sabrina before painting in the background. You can see a printout of Sabrina's original photo taped onto the canvas for reference.
Here's her portrait so far:
Like Ollie, Sabrina has many complex colors in her coat - greys, purples and browns. I used a similar mix of colors to Ollie's portrait, but with more yellows and warm browns. I started with a purple underpainting:
Three Dogs at the Park, Sketch
06 March, 2009
I'm working on a portrait of three dogs relaxing in a field. This portrait has an extra-long aspect ratio at 12"x24", so I chose poses that would fit well into the space and make room for a nice landscape background. Here are Copper, Logan and Kensy with their family:
Ollie and Sabrina, Sketch
27 February, 2009
I rarely get to meet the dogs and people I paint, so I'm thrilled to be painting two dogs I know very well, Sabrina and Ollie. Sabrina is a Pit Bull/Weimaraner mix and Ollie is a Standard Poodle. Both dogs are service dogs. I painted Sabrina several years ago before she retired and passed on her job to Ollie.
Read the rest of this post...Diesel the German Shepherd, Finished
18 February, 2009
I'm finished my portrait of Diesel, the german shepherd. Here's the finished product:
German Shepherd Painting in Progress
27 January, 2009
I'm working on my portrait of Diesel. Here's the most recent progress:
German Shepherd Portrait, Sketch
16 January, 2009
This is my preliminary sketch of Diesel, a German Shepherd:
I'm going to be painting a head and shoulders portrait of Diesel. I like the way he is looking away from the camera. He has a beautiful coat.
Read the rest of this post...Ollie's Poodle Portrait in Progress
03 December, 2008
I'm working on my portrait of Ollie and Sabrina. This is my most recent work on Ollie:
A Girl and her Beagle, Finished
02 December, 2008
I've finished my portrait of the cute little girl and her beagle. I decided on a dark blue shaded background to contrast with the pink of her dress. Here's the finished portrait:
Ralphie the Dachshund, In Progress
07 October, 2008
This is the latest progress on my portrait of Ralphie the Dachshund. Here's my underpainting:
Read the rest of this post...
Read the rest of this post...
Ralphie the Dachshund
25 September, 2008
I'm happy to be back to painting after my summer of traveling. My new, larger studio in Mountain View, California is great. I've got a couple of portraits beginning and the first one is of Ralphie:
Chow and Saint Bernard, Finished
08 May, 2008
I'm finished my portrait of Mocha Bear (Mokie) and Monte from Dogster. You can see the original photos and sketch here.
Their mom suggested a field of dandelions as a background for them, and I think it set the perfect mood for the painting. I painted the dandelions in greater detail in the foreground, and approximated the further away dandelions with little dots of paint to show perspective. Read the rest of this post...
Their mom suggested a field of dandelions as a background for them, and I think it set the perfect mood for the painting. I painted the dandelions in greater detail in the foreground, and approximated the further away dandelions with little dots of paint to show perspective. Read the rest of this post...
Jesse the Black Lab
07 May, 2008
I'm painting a portrait of Jesse, a black lab. I don't have a scanned copy of his photos, so I'll just show the finished portrait:
Black smooth haired dogs can be difficult to paint because of the low contrast of the fur. Jesse has a nice shiny coat so I was able to see his features well.
The steps of the portrait are after the jump. Read the rest of this post...
Black smooth haired dogs can be difficult to paint because of the low contrast of the fur. Jesse has a nice shiny coat so I was able to see his features well.
The steps of the portrait are after the jump. Read the rest of this post...
Mocha the Chow Mix
03 May, 2008
I'm working on my painting of Mocha Bear and Monte. Mocha Bear is a rescued Chow mix.
Read the rest of this post...
Read the rest of this post...Monte the Saint Bernard
17 April, 2008
I've started my portrait of Monte, the rescued St. Bernard from Dogster. Here's a detail shot of his portrait so far:
Read the rest of this post...
Read the rest of this post...Chow and Saint Bernard, Sketch
11 April, 2008
I'm starting a portrait of Mocha Bear (Mokie) and Monte from Dogster:
I'm going to combine their two photos to make a portrait of them sitting in a field of dandelions. Here's the sketch:
I really like the happy, casual poses in both photos. They both have such great smiles.
I'm going to combine their two photos to make a portrait of them sitting in a field of dandelions. Here's the sketch:
I really like the happy, casual poses in both photos. They both have such great smiles.
Children and a Lab, Finished
05 April, 2008
It's been a long time since I last posted but I'm proud to show my new people portrait:
I used this original photo, and added the family dog using supplementary photos:
Read the rest of this post...Malamute Portrait, Finished
18 February, 2008
I'm finished my portrait of Voxy:
I chose a light grey-blue background to set off the cool tones in her fur and the fuzzy pink insides of her ears.
To make the background, I mixed a thick mixture of Carbon Black, Payne's Grey, Titanium White and Ultramarine Blue and applied it with my angle shader brush.
After painting in the background, I used my rake brush to paint in wisps of fur over the edges. Read the rest of this post...
I chose a light grey-blue background to set off the cool tones in her fur and the fuzzy pink insides of her ears.
To make the background, I mixed a thick mixture of Carbon Black, Payne's Grey, Titanium White and Ultramarine Blue and applied it with my angle shader brush.
After painting in the background, I used my rake brush to paint in wisps of fur over the edges. Read the rest of this post...
Malamute Portrait in Progress
10 February, 2008
I've been working on my painting of Voxy, the Malamute from Alaska. She has such deep, beautiful fur and I've been using many layers of color to try and show the texture.
Here's my progress so far:
Watch the progression up to this point below. Read the rest of this post...
Here's my progress so far:
Watch the progression up to this point below. Read the rest of this post...
Fig Newton's Pug Portrait
21 January, 2008
This is Fig Newton:
I painted her for my art show at Pride and Pedigree, which has now ended. The gallery owner said that this portrait was her favorite of the series. Here's her finished portrait:
Read the rest of this post...
I painted her for my art show at Pride and Pedigree, which has now ended. The gallery owner said that this portrait was her favorite of the series. Here's her finished portrait:
Read the rest of this post...Voxy the Malamute from Alaska
21 January, 2008
This is Voxy:
I made two different sketches to choose from - a closeup of her face and a full-body sketch:
The face only pose will allow me to include more detail, especially in the beautiful markings on her face. The full body pose doesn't show as much detail, but it would be nice for including some of the northern landscape she lived in.
I made two different sketches to choose from - a closeup of her face and a full-body sketch:
The face only pose will allow me to include more detail, especially in the beautiful markings on her face. The full body pose doesn't show as much detail, but it would be nice for including some of the northern landscape she lived in.
Duke the Yellow Lab
30 December, 2007
This is a portrait I painted earlier this month for my dog portrait show at the Pride and Pedigree gallery:
This is Duke, a golden lab in the family. He was the first dog I ever painted and I decided to paint him again for my show since he has such great coloring.
Happy New Year! Read the rest of this post...
This is Duke, a golden lab in the family. He was the first dog I ever painted and I decided to paint him again for my show since he has such great coloring.
Happy New Year! Read the rest of this post...
Byron the Italian Greyhound, Finished
24 December, 2007
This is my finished portrait of Byron the Italian Greyhound:
I chose a blue sky background to set off his reddish brown coat. I like the angle of the pose and the strong look in his face.
Merry Christmas! Read the rest of this post...
I chose a blue sky background to set off his reddish brown coat. I like the angle of the pose and the strong look in his face.
Merry Christmas! Read the rest of this post...
Dachshund Puppy Portrait
23 December, 2007
This is Piglet from Dogster:
I painted her portrait for my dog art show at Pride and Pedigree. I love the expression in her eyes and I decided to make this portrait a little less realistic and incorporate more bright colors. I didn't take progress photos along the way this time, but here's the finished painting:
I painted her portrait for my dog art show at Pride and Pedigree. I love the expression in her eyes and I decided to make this portrait a little less realistic and incorporate more bright colors. I didn't take progress photos along the way this time, but here's the finished painting:
Yorkshire Terrier Portrait, Finished
20 December, 2007
This is my finished portrait of Brody the Yorkshire terrier:
The regal pose in the photo made me want to do a very classic shaded background, so I made a mix of Burnt Umber and Titan Buff. After painting the background around Brody, I touched up the edges of his fur to make the wisps of hair overlap the background.
Brody's painting and others are currently on display at the Pride and Pedigree daycare in Oakland. Read the rest of this post...
The regal pose in the photo made me want to do a very classic shaded background, so I made a mix of Burnt Umber and Titan Buff. After painting the background around Brody, I touched up the edges of his fur to make the wisps of hair overlap the background.
Brody's painting and others are currently on display at the Pride and Pedigree daycare in Oakland. Read the rest of this post...
Golden Retriever Portrait, Finished
20 December, 2007
Here's my finished portrait of Vincent the golden retriever:
I like the way he is looking at the viewer. Between his feet is a dried pig's ear, one of his favorite snacks. Read the rest of this post...
I like the way he is looking at the viewer. Between his feet is a dried pig's ear, one of his favorite snacks. Read the rest of this post...
Vincent the Golden Retriever
05 December, 2007
This is Vincent:
I'm going to be painting him in his favorite spot, lying on the hardwood floor in his house with his family.
Here's my initial sketch:
Since this is a large portrait (24" x 36") and Vincent has complex coloring in his coat, I decided to start with his face and experiment with layering the colors, before painting in the rest of the body. Read the rest of this post...
I'm going to be painting him in his favorite spot, lying on the hardwood floor in his house with his family.
Here's my initial sketch:
Since this is a large portrait (24" x 36") and Vincent has complex coloring in his coat, I decided to start with his face and experiment with layering the colors, before painting in the rest of the body. Read the rest of this post...
Italian Greyhound Portrait
29 November, 2007
This is Byron from Dogster:
Byron is a professional service dog. This photo was taken after he won a show championship, and I love the faraway look on his face.
I want to capture this look in a painting, but with a simpler background than in the photo. Here's my sketch:
Read the rest of this post...
Byron is a professional service dog. This photo was taken after he won a show championship, and I love the faraway look on his face.
I want to capture this look in a painting, but with a simpler background than in the photo. Here's my sketch:
Read the rest of this post...Brody the Yorkie
28 November, 2007
This is Brody from Dogster:
I'm going to be painting his portrait for my dog art show at the Pride and Pedigree gallery in California next month.
Here's my progress so far:
Read the rest of this post...
I'm going to be painting his portrait for my dog art show at the Pride and Pedigree gallery in California next month.
Here's my progress so far:
Read the rest of this post...Planning Composition in Photoshop
24 October, 2006
This is a project I've been working on for quite a while and recently completed. The painting is for a set of Christmas cards, featuring the family dog, Duke, a yellow Lab.
Read the rest of this post...Three Labs, Finished
07 September, 2006
This is the Three Labs Portrait I've been working on for a while. I may still make some small adjustments, but it's more or less finished.
This photo looks a lot like a place where I lived when I was very little. Our family had a black lab named Peggy then and I wonder sometimes if I paint all black labs to look like her without meaning to.
The finished painting:
It's quite a large portrait (24" x 36") so here's a detail of the black labs' faces:
I had a good time with this portrait. I really like the way the lines of the landscape naturally draw attention to the dogs in the foreground. Read the rest of this post...
This photo looks a lot like a place where I lived when I was very little. Our family had a black lab named Peggy then and I wonder sometimes if I paint all black labs to look like her without meaning to.
The finished painting:
It's quite a large portrait (24" x 36") so here's a detail of the black labs' faces:
I had a good time with this portrait. I really like the way the lines of the landscape naturally draw attention to the dogs in the foreground. Read the rest of this post...
Three Labs Portrait, Background
07 September, 2006
I'm getting close to finishing the three labs portrait. This is a fun painting because it's a mix of portrait and landscape. Here's my progress so far:
Before starting the background, I painted over the labs with masking medium, to protect my original painting. I like to use masking medium so I can paint right up to the edges without too much fiddling.
I painted in the grassy area with a thin wash of Green Gold and Sap Green Hue. I deliberately left some texture so it wouldn't look too flat. I painted the mountains with a mix of Titanium White, Dioxazine Purple, Carbon Black and Burnt Umber, adding shading with Payne's Grey.
The next phase is the time-consuming task of adding the individual trees and grass texture. To do this efficiently, I used several different brushes, in different sizes, to make the individual marks. I mixed several different shades of green and alternated strokes in different areas to show depth. I put in the texture of the grass and flowers in the foreground using a fan brush. I painted grass over the dogs' feet, and put in some flower detail against their coats.
I painted in a thin glaze of Nickel Azo Yellow and over the grass to warm up the painting a bit. Read the rest of this post...
Before starting the background, I painted over the labs with masking medium, to protect my original painting. I like to use masking medium so I can paint right up to the edges without too much fiddling.
I painted in the grassy area with a thin wash of Green Gold and Sap Green Hue. I deliberately left some texture so it wouldn't look too flat. I painted the mountains with a mix of Titanium White, Dioxazine Purple, Carbon Black and Burnt Umber, adding shading with Payne's Grey.
The next phase is the time-consuming task of adding the individual trees and grass texture. To do this efficiently, I used several different brushes, in different sizes, to make the individual marks. I mixed several different shades of green and alternated strokes in different areas to show depth. I put in the texture of the grass and flowers in the foreground using a fan brush. I painted grass over the dogs' feet, and put in some flower detail against their coats.
I painted in a thin glaze of Nickel Azo Yellow and over the grass to warm up the painting a bit. Read the rest of this post...
Yellow Lab in Progress
05 September, 2006
I've been working on the yellow lab in the three labs portrait. Here's my latest progress:
Read the rest of this post...
Read the rest of this post...Two Black Labs in Progress
30 August, 2006
In the Three Labs portrait I'm working on, I decided to start with the two black labs, since I think they will be the most difficult part of the painting. Here's my progress so far:
Black shorthaired dogs can be hard to paint because there is very little contrast in the features. I used Photoshop to increase the brightness and contrast of my reference photo to help me see the light and dark areas more easily. Read the rest of this post...
Black shorthaired dogs can be hard to paint because there is very little contrast in the features. I used Photoshop to increase the brightness and contrast of my reference photo to help me see the light and dark areas more easily. Read the rest of this post...
Three Labs Portrait, Original Photo
26 August, 2006
This is the portrait I'm going to paint this week:
This is going to be a very large portrait, at 24" x 36". In the initial sketch, I adjusted the position of the labs slightly to make the spacing better. I am going to intensify the colors in the sky a bit and play up the white reflections in the black labs' coats to make them shinier.
I'm going to paint in the labs, then paint in the background around them. Read the rest of this post...
This is going to be a very large portrait, at 24" x 36". In the initial sketch, I adjusted the position of the labs slightly to make the spacing better. I am going to intensify the colors in the sky a bit and play up the white reflections in the black labs' coats to make them shinier.
I'm going to paint in the labs, then paint in the background around them. Read the rest of this post...