Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Camping at Laguna Beach

Friday, December 9, 2011

Camping at Laguna Beach

We decided to take out dogs and go to the beach for a few days. I took a few paintings with me that are works in progress. It has been so nice and quiet to work down here. tonight we had an absolutely gorgeous sunset. We took a walk down to the beach on Friday and found there was a pod of Dolphin about ten feet off shore. Some other beach goers said they were mating. It was very interesting to watch. They kept a very leisurely pace and going in large circles. Not sure what they were doing, but it was a fabulous opportunity to see them so up and close. We had a great time at the beach, was able to paint very long hours without the usual distractions, had fun with the dogs, and wished we could have spent more time there!

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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!