Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: November 2024

Monday, November 4, 2024

An oil painting of Cinder - an Irish Setter

This is a painting of Cinder. I've been sitting on it for about a week evaluating the finished painting. This is quite the norm for me. I like to step away from a finished painting to give myself time away from looking at it daily. If I still don't see anything that needs an adjustment, I know my job is done.

I am so glad Cinder's owner chose the reference photo she did for this painting. The expression in his eyes is mesmerizing. There is a softness that just warms the heart of the viewer. At the bottom of this post - look for a link of a video of me finishing the painting - utube video.

I asked her if she could share a little bit about Cinder for those who enjoy viewing my art. Here is what she shared:

Thank you for having me paint your special boy. There is no greater honor than to paint for someone.

Enjoy this Utube video of me finishing the painting: https://youtu.be/9mGMicIBruk

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!