I thought that this sketch was a little pale so I upped the values a bit.
I painted this portrait of my granddaughter’s dog Achilles on 140 pound Fabriano coldpress. Fabriano is nice to use because it’s cheaper than Arches and it scrubs off easily. I used a mop brush and my new #4 rigger. The rigger is a great brush with a really fine point and a big barrel so it holds a lot of paint. You can use the point for fine lines and use it like a regular brush and turn it on its side to paint larger areas. Great brush that doesn’t run out of paint like smaller round brushes. But I painted the ladders with a larger angled brush. He’s a sweet boy but will knock you on your ass if you’re playing rough.
I also painted her other dog-Bambi using the same brushes and mostly the same colors. I had a little trouble because she was basically the same colors as the garage she was in. But I kinda liked the softness of it vs the strength of the other one.
Really nice portraits…you captured those soulful dog eyes in both. I like the semi abstract backgrounds in both.. the colors on Bambi really do the job of bringing her forward distinct from the background.
ReplyDeleteI liked the first version of the potted plant better than the latter. Those white spots on the leaf distract me.
ReplyDeleteThe addition of those crossed bumper stickers(?) works very well compositionally, focusing the attention on the face of the Noble dog. The first guy I reckon is kind of a jerk, but a really good buddy. The other guy looks very thoughtful which comes in handy if you want to talk philosophy with you dog, and who doesn't?
That’s the way the plant is. It’s a darker green with little lighter spots in a pattern around the edges. If I was going to do a real painting, it would be even darker with a lot more detail in the veinings and the spots. But, this is just a sketch.
DeleteSuch great dogs! I like the backgrounds. Surprisingly (considering the lettering and the orange, all of which tend to draw focus), they work well to frame the subject. Love the eyes and the glint of Bambi's metal collar. I rather liked the softer version of the plant. It seemed dreamier and moodier and seemed to better suit the slightly wonky perspective. But that's just my opinion, so take it or leave it!
ReplyDeleteThe backgrounds for the dog portraits really do work well. Who would've thought? The dogs themself look good, perhaps a little stiffly painted. More dog paintings would do the trick. I think the quick plant study worked best as just that. If you wanted to do more to it, just do another painting and let the first one be what it is.
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