Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Sera

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Sera - Borzoi

This is Sera.   I've painted her before - a mini head shot.   She is absolutely gorgeous inside and out.   Her owner has plans to train her to become a therapy dog.   She will definitely excel in that role.   Sera is as tender and sweet as any dog could be!

For her painting, her owners wanted her laying in the back yard with their view of the ocean and flowering landscape.    In the main reference photo, Sera was laying in their bed with her rear legs outstretched.    For the painting, her legs didn't match the pose needed to lay in the grass.   So, I moved her legs under her from the position of being out in front of her.

This small change really was the right thing to do for the painting.    My eye had kept settling on her legs and body rather than her face.    The ultimate goal of the painting was to lead the viewer's gaze to rest upon Sera's face.    By moving her legs under her, I was able to accomplish this goal.

Hope you enjoy the painting.   Sera is just a joy to be around.    She is a real treasure.

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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!