Custom wood slice portraits are unique gifts.
Two more wood slices are on their way to the USA along with Patches, the cat. Such a cute trio they are!
Teddy and Annabel are Mini Aussiedoodles, a breed I had not seen before. A little research revealed that these dogs are ideal pets for almost anyone willing to give them enough daily exercise.
(First published in March 2019)
Characteristics of Mini Aussiedoodles.
As the name suggests, they are a mix of the poodle and the miniature Australian Shepherd. Teddy, definitely has more of the poodle look in her.
These dogs are really great for families since they are playful and affectionate.
They are also low-shedding dogs although I am a bit skeptical on that one piece of information. Emma, the Golden Doodle sheds all year around but particularly so in the summer and fall.
Did you know that crossbred dogs have “Designer Status”? Someone must have invented this term to justify the high prices charged for crossbred pups. They sell in Canada for the same price as purebred dogs!
Crossbred dogs do not qualify for the usual registration with accredited canine clubs. However, they can be registered with the Canine Hybrid Club and the International Designer Canine registry. I can't help but wonder why someone would do this given that the breed standards are so difficult to determine.
No one knows what the adult dog might look like, as is the case with Emma, who is much more of a Golden Retriever and far less poodle in looks.
No matter their looks, we love them anyway, right?
Painted on wood slices, Teddy and Annabel have been varnished and the back is stamped and signed.
The process of painting on wood
The first step is always getting the sketch onto the wood. This requires a good eye to observe all the little details.
I always start with a water soluble pencil and then add water and some white paint to establish values. Where are the darkest darks, the lightest areas, and those in-between spots?
There is little room for error especially when the client wants the background left in its natural state. The photo on the left shows the usual scary or zombie stage that all paintings must always go through. The darker dog (Annabel) is not as far along as Teddy. However, both are still in the very early stages of the process.
I was recently asked if I shared these photos with the client. I do if I know the client well enough because I think someone might panic if they saw their pets looking like zombies!
Once I had Annabel and Teddy sketched out, the next part is more labour intensive as I try to capture the features of the dogs so that they are truly recognizable as themselves.
I usually send at least one photo at some point during the process to the client. In the photo on the left, I had too much white fur on Annabel and I had to adjust that a bit.
The last touches on these two portraits included adding their collars and then, giving them two coats of varnish. Finally, I stamped the back and signed them.
If you would like to have a pet portrait on canvas, visit my Custom Pet Portrait page. I post my prices here.
For portraits on wood slices, visit this page.
