ENTRY #3 :))

 The finished product is in sight now as more layers of black go down. I refer constantly to the photo in order to emphasize detail in shading. The eyes are starting to take shape, but I find that I am fiddling with the right eye. As with the nose, I think I am having trouble because her fur is very dark in the photo and it is difficult to make out fine details. Also, what I thought was white in Cya's fur is, I think now, highlights from the light that is coming in from the right so I will tone them down a bit with grey. The nose is looking more natural since I darkened the fur around it...as they say, everything is relevant.

From here on in, it is a matter of tweaking, a bit of lifting and a bit of deepening shades. Often it is a case of "when do I stop". The image below is "finished" but I will leave it overnight and look at it with fresh eyes tomorrow. I am pretty happy with the result and going back in to make little changes can sometimes turn out wrong.

Okay, so on returning to the painting in the morning, I could see one or two small things that I could change that I think would improve it. Basically, it was just a matter of darkening up the right eye a tad and deepening the shadows on the left. 

Time to add my signature...and voila~ I can say that I have finished painting Cya.

~C

ENTRY #2

 Cya actually has quite of bit of brown undertones in her fur so I have decided to do a first wash of Tiger's Eye Genuine which is a granulating brown and one of my faves.

At this point it occurs to me that the background and beads will have to be painted before laying down any black. This is because if I apply the lighter colours later, the black will bleed back so I will lose any clean edges.

Eyes are, I feel, the most important feature and often I will do them first. In this case, I have decided to work on them later as I know that there are many more layers of black that will have to be put down.  I will 'focus' on the eyes as Cya becomes darker so that I have a reference point to work from.

Looking at the results so far, I can tell immediately that the background colours will have to be deepened. The muzzle is causing me angst and her nose will definitely need tweaking. Also, I am not getting my blacks intense enough but this is mainly because I am being timid at this stage--once you go too dark there is no turning back.

So, onward and upward. I will continue to work with black and devote more time to her face. See you at Entry #3.

~C

ENTRY #1 :))

 Many of the dogs I paint I have not met, some I have met and still others have left this world and crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Cya is a sweet girl who shares a life with Murray. I have cared for her on several occasions and, in fact, I was her protege when it came to starting my 'career' as traveling dog sitter. This is a labour of love.

Luckily I had several photos of Cya to choose from and ultimately selected this one--I liked the extra bit of colour in her My Brown Dog beads.

CYA (Fashionista)

I am using Arches 150# cold press paper with dimensions of 10 x 12. The paper is soaked, applied to the board with tape and staples then allowed to dry over night. Hopefully, it dries flat with no buckling.

Drawing up the sketch is the first order of the day. Once the drawing is on tracing paper I can transfer it to the dry water colour paper.

Pigment choice can make or break a painting so the next step is to study the photo closely examining it for colour and subtle shade differences being aware of tiny details that make Cya uniquely Cya. I don't rush this stage and go back to the photo several times over the next day or two.

Once I am pretty sure of the  colours in my head I proceed to the next step--putting them down on paper.

Colour Palette for Cya

Because Cya is mostly black/gray I plan to use a mix of ultramarine blue with burnt sienna to come up with blacks. This will provide more depth and shades than if I use a simple black from the tube.

Another important consideration is background. Often, I agonize over this but this time I was pretty sure right from the start. I loved the colours in the beads so decided to do a simple splash of colour in the background reflecting those in the beads.

So, finally, it's time to put my brushes to paper.

See you over at Entry #2.

~C