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Dachshund Portrait, Finished
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!
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Finished Dog Painting with Video
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.
Finished Pug Portrait with Video
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.
Sheltie Portrait Video
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
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.
Three Labs, Finished
07 September, 2006 Filed in: Dogs | Landscapes
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 Filed in: Dogs | Landscapes
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...
Duke the Yellow Lab
30 December, 2007 Filed in: Dogs
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...
Yorkshire Terrier Portrait, Finished
20 December, 2007 Filed in: Dogs
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...
Byron the Italian Greyhound, Finished
24 December, 2007 Filed in: Dogs
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...
Fig Newton's Pug Portrait
21 January, 2008 Filed in: Dogs
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...Malamute Portrait, Finished
18 February, 2008 Filed in: Dogs
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...
Jesse the Black Lab
07 May, 2008 Filed in: Dogs
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...
Dachshund Puppy Portrait
23 December, 2007 Filed in: Dogs
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:
Chow and Saint Bernard, Finished
08 May, 2008 Filed in: Dogs
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...
Portrait of an Artist, Part 2
Today I worked on my portrait of Genie, working in her art studio. As an animal artist, I'm quite new to people portraits so I was a bit nervous about how I would paint skin, especially since I was using a black and white photo to paint a color portrait. Here's my progress so far:
I took lots of photos of the progress up to this point, have a look:
My Royal Portrait
I've been practicing my people portrait painting this last week. I usually paint portraits of dogs, and occasionally other animals, but I would like to paint more people.
Painting my own species is difficult but I'm practicing by painting a very recognizable face: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She has been photographed throughout her entire life, and has posed for dozens of royal portraits. I like this portrait by Christian Furr at Buckingham Palace. The Queen chose Christian herself to paint this portrait when he was only 28.
I don't have the opportunity to paint her in person but I have been experimenting with painting Queen Elizabeth using old photos.
Here's the start of my small practice painting from a younger photo of the Queen:
I haven't decided whether to add her crown and jewelry. It would make the portrait more recognizable but the plainer, candid feeling is interesting too. I'll think about this as I work on improving the likeness and adding more of the background. It's fun being able to choose the color of her dress and chair.
Children and a Lab, Finished
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...Ralphie's Finished Portrait
This is my finished portrait of Ralphie the Dachshund:
Ralphie loved to play in the Christmas wrappings. He looks like a wonderful dog. Read the rest of this post...
Ralphie loved to play in the Christmas wrappings. He looks like a wonderful dog. Read the rest of this post...
A Girl and her Beagle, Finished
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:
Diesel the German Shepherd, Finished
I'm finished my portrait of Diesel, the german shepherd. Here's the finished product:
Three Dogs at the Park, Finished Portrait
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:
