Painting of a Boston Terrier using soft pastels

This is a painting of a Boston Terrier named Honey.    I took a number of photos of Honey for this painting.   We took photos inside the house and out in the yard.   The favorite photo to be used as the primary reference was a photo of Honey out by the pool.  At the end of this post is a video of the painting in process...be sure to take a peek.

In the primary reference photo, the left side of Honey's face (which is the right side of the photo and painting) was shadowed by the direction of the sun.    In the painting, I've lightened up the cast shadows shown in the actual photograph.  Those strong shadows were not only distracting, but important details were lost.   For Honey's eye, I lightened the shadow on her right side of her face to be able to see both of her eyes in the painting.   In the area under Honey's chin, I lightened the shadow so there would not be a dramatic line in the painting that you could see in the photo.   I did the same on her body.  These three examples of changing the photos, for different reasons, allowed the viewer to see more and to see less in the final painting.   As an artist, I need to be able to see what will enhance the painting and what could weaken the focal point - in this case, Honey.

Other changes from the photograph were the elimination of the pool step rail and the lounge chair you can see in the background of the photo.   Those items were distracting and had no important role in the painting.  One other change from the photo is that the chair cushions Honey was resting upon were upside down.  The painting shows the cushions facing the right direction.   I could not see what the actual cushions looked like right side up, I just improvised. 

Thank you to Honey's owners for having me paint your precious girl.   She is as gorgeous inside as she is on the outside.

Below is the video of the painting in process.   

This is a painting in process of a Boston Terrier named Honey.