Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Lucy and Hogan

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Lucy and Hogan - Irish Setters

Lucy and Hogan's portrait has been in the making for some time. The first time they were photographed was in Arizona - April 2008. It was very hot and windy at that time and we all decided to take more photos at a later date.

We took pictures of Lucy again in October 2008 in Pleasanton California. There were some truly wonderful photos. Lucy is a gorgeous girl so it would have been nearly impossible not to get a good photo. She was born to be a cover girl!

Recently Hogan's owners had taken some great shots of him in an outside park setting. He was sitting on a bench just giving the camera the "rollicking" look of an Irish Setter. It was "that" look that his owner was trying to capture. Hopefully this painting will give you a look into the wonderful world of Hogan and a glimpse of the beauty of Lucy.

My only concern with this painting has been sneaking it out of my house - and away from my husband who has laid claim to it and does not want me to ship it off to its rightful owners!

My website features a number of finished works and prints - both limited and open editions for sale. Please go take a peek! http://www.dawnsecord.com/

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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!