Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: April 2011

Saturday, April 30, 2011

On the way to the National

stopped for gas in Needles CA $4.89 a gallon...ugh

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

This painting was just finished yesterday. A few years ago a friend sent me a photo of this sleeping pup. I asked her if I could use it for a painting and she agreed. Sometimes photos are taken out of perspective. The reference photo for this painting was perfect.

It is a mini painting and the frame was made by a friend of mine in back East. He does amazing things with wood. I love that the frame is hand made right here in America.

Hope you enjoy viewing the painting as much as I did painting it!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Borzoi Commission Completed

Primary Reference Photos Side by Side

Additional Reference Photo

Finished Painting

This portrait is of three Borzoi who live in Norway. Their owner is a fabulous photographer and to my good fortune, was able to supply amazing reference material for the painting.

The dog on the left is the dam followed by her daughter and her son. One of the reference photos had the mother and the daughter. Another photo had the son. In his primary reference photo the lighting was different than in the photo of the mother and his sister. An additional photo (second photo of him) had lighting that was consistent with the photo of the girls.

That third photo was my reference to change the lighting in the painting to be consistent with the photo of the mother and the daughter. The third photo had the dog looking an entirely different color than the first. After looking at many photos of him, it was clear this third photo was not consistent with the coloring of the others. Tiny obstacles!

It is funny how your eyes can play tricks on you. After some trial and error, all came together and there is the consistency of lighting I strove to achieve on all three subjects.

Thank you for taking a peek!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Oil Painting Finished.

This is a painting that I just finished and is drying. The above photos show the process that my paintings go through.

I always start with a sketch. If it is an oil painting, I secure the sketch with black oil paint. Then I glaze a neutral color over the entire canvas. With this painting the base coat is in burnt sienna.

Then colors are layered gradually allowing for drying time between each layer. During the painting process the painting may be rotated upside down or sideways to allow ease of painting the fur etc.

Thanks for taking a peek!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Tri Setter Specialties in Dixon, California

We had a great time with the dogs in Dixon this past weekend. Drew went Winners Dog for a 4 point major under respected breeder judge, Dr. John Savory.

Faith went Best Puppy under Dr. John Savory and the following day in sweepstakes went Best of Opposite Sex.

The art sales were good and we had fun seeing friends we hadn't seen in a while as well as meeting new people.

Thank you so much to the clubs for putting on these shows (Irish Setter Club of Central California, Irish Setter Club of the Pacific and Irish Setter Club of Sacramento).

To see more pictures of our dogs at this show or pedigree information please go to our website at http://www.dawnsecord.com/renditionirishsetters.html

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!

Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord