Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Bonnie the Mastiff

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Bonnie the Mastiff

The portrait of "Bonnie" was commissioned as a gift by a sister who lives in Wisconsin for a sister that lives in Arizona. Bonnie was a very special dog and an extremely beautiful Mastiff.

At the time of the commission, Bonnie was no longer with us. The photos that we had to work with were not the best quality for a portrait. They were old 3" x 5" or 4" x 6" photos that had Bonnie in as a small figure. Most detail was difficult to see clearly. All parties involved found as many photos as possible and each photo gave me a glimpse into who Bonnie was. One photo gave me her eye color - another photo or two clarified her ear set and shape.

It was a fun process and I thank the owners and family members for their patience and assistance in making the painting possible.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Pastel Painting in Progress - French Bulldog

Here is a painting in progress. The pastel paintings are done very much in the same way an oil painting is done. I start with a base color. Usually I work with a precolored surface. With oil painting I would lay in a foundation color so the white canvas wouldn't show through. So this is the same basis. Since I am right handed I work from left to right unless it is a landscape or still life in which case the entire surface is worked uniformly. With pet portraits, so I don't damage an area that is completed, the surface is worked from left to right. While working an area of the subject I lay in mid tone values first - then work light to dark. With pastels an artist can "fill the tooth" of the surface so it is important not to over work any areas. Once the entire subject is painted I go back and reinforce the lightest lights and darkest darks. My greatest area of interest is the eyes. If the eyes aren't right the entire painting will look odd. If the painting is about a sleeping animal it is important to convey the comfort of the animal.

Oil Painting in Process

The following pictures show an Oil Painting in process. The first images show my beginning sketch. I use a common pencil, ruler and an eraser. Once the beginning sketch is satisfactory the sketch is secured with a layer of black oil paint. When the first layer is dried I apply a base color over the entire canvas. I love working on a burnt sienna foundation. There are paintings where I start just working directly on the white canvas and there is no base layer or foundation. It really depends on the painting. From the base foundation I start layering colors. It is a slow process due to drying time. This is where it really becomes fun. I should really make a recording of my husband saying, "You're done - stop messing with it!" Thanks for taking a peek. This painting is of a cat named Lynxy!