Chewy has his puppy portrait painted.
Chewy is no longer a puppy but we have his framed portrait to remember his tiny little self at four months old. In the reference photo, he is wearing a baby t shirt. I think this photo must have been taken just before he had his first clipping.
A mini Golden Doodle (designer dogs as they are now called), Chewy is more Poodle than Golden Retriever in his looks and in his behaviour as well.
See his curly fur? His cute angular face? That’s all poodle. And much like all poodles, he has a high energy level and is very friendly.
But Chewy (named for Chewbacca in Star Wars and not because of a bad habit) is also an excellent family pet and something of a defender of the people he loves. The family is happy that he is non-shedding and hypo-allergenic.
The details of Chewy’s puppy portrait.
His portrait was recently completed using a black Sharpie for line work which is showing through the acrylic paint. This is intentional as I wanted to create a looser look than my usual portraits. The background is a collaged map of Madrid, Spain to which I added a light wash of green to unify the colours and push them back so that the dog is the focus and not the map.
A few weeks ago, I painted Rosie in the same style. I added loose roses over painted freezer paper for the background. I am always experimenting to discover new ways of painting pets and this is definitely one of my favourite ways because the brush strokes and line work are all visible and I like that effect. This caricature-like portrait might not to be everyone’s liking but I am quite happy with them.
What do you think? Is this another option I should offer to my clients? Leave a comment below. All comments are approved by me before they are published. Have a great week!
I like the idea of using a pen as an addition to my art also, particularly when I have been doing my leaves. In some cases it actually benefits the look of the piece as it has done with with your painting of Chewy. Such a cute dog 🤗
When I am painting for myself or for family, I allow myself lots of room for experimentation. I agree that pen or markers can actually add interest and as you say, benefit the art work. Thanks Sally!
Your portrait painting of Chewy as a puppy look fabulous, Louise. A wonderfully cute keepsake, and I really like your collaged map technique and colors!
Thanks Phil. It is satisfying to see results come about more quickly because of the line work. Enjoy the rest of your week.