Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Harry Francis

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Harry Francis

This is Harry Francis. He is no longer with us. For his portrait, a number of snap shot photos were mailed to me. It is always so hard to look at photos of a cherished pet and see memories that were shared with the family and other pets. When looking at the photos, one just jumped out at me. Harry was sitting next to another dog. He had his nose tilted up in the air the way the Irish Setter can do. The photo was small - but the emotion it provoked was huge.

Discussing the photos with his family, we all agreed this photo would be my primary reference material. When asking about the background, there was no preference. So, I started the painting and while looking at it, it was so crystal clear. Lets do the background just as it was in the photo. In the photo was a heavily wooded area. One could easily imagine a setter or two romping joyfully through the woods. I had been given the artistic freedom to choose the background. When I told Harry's family of the decision they were tickled. Turns out the woods were Harry's kingdom and his servants, the squirrels were kept strictly in line by his constant surveillance. I can only smile knowing now that Harry loved to be in that wooded area. It all turns out doesn't it. Thank you to his family for choosing me to paint this wonderful boy.

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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!