Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Daisy - an Italian Greyhound

Monday, October 16, 2017

Daisy - an Italian Greyhound

This is a painting of Daisy, an Italian Greyhound.

They are such a fun breed. As stated on the Internet, "The Italian Greyhound is a small breed of dog of the sight hound type, sometimes called an "I.G.", "Iggy."

I've gotten to know the breed better due to my art and what a fabulous breed they are. They are smart - inquisitive and have the heart of a lion. Of course, there have been a few that have stolen my heart and it is easy to see why they are so popular.

Daisy's owners gave me a number of photos of her - head shots as well as movement shots. Then we met up at a dog show and I took "a lot" more...probably 75! One can never have too much reference material. When it came down to choosing which photos would be the primary reference photos they left the choices up to me. Wow - what a responsibility - but also, wow - what freedom. They didn't know what was chosen until the big reveal. Nail biting I sent the image of the finished painting to them. Here was their response, "OMG Dawn it’s perfect I love it!!"

It was a great pleasure to paint this girl. Hopefully, the painting warms their hearts for many many years.

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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!