Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: November 2019

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Norman and Malkpi

When Norman and Malkpi were brought to me to take reference photos of them for a painting my heart totally melted. They were adorable on the outside and such treasures on the inside. I asked their parents for a little information about them and this is what I was told:

Malpki is a champion and Norman came into our lives as a loner when Malpki went to have her babies with the breeder. We just could not let him go back. "Malpki" is polish for little monkey and Norman came with his name. We just couldn't change it. He is such a Norman. They are both world travelers and prefer first class all the way.

Registered Names:

Malpki: CH Pramada's Naughty Nicolet or Nicky for short

Norman: Pramada's Naughty Norman or Norman

http://www.dawnsecord.com/commissioninformation.html

Norman and Malkpi Pastel Painting

They patiently posed for their photo shoot. Here are some cute candid shots on the journey to their reference photos.

We are doing what?

Oh- what is going on over there?

Did someone drop a treat?

Is it a bird? A plane?

Ah - perfect posers!

Thank you to Rick and Craig for having me paint their little angles. It was a wonderful experience for sure. Just love these two cuties!

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!