Painting Prunelle

Here is a glimpse into my painting process.  This is Prunelle, a special request that I've taken on and now I'm sharing the finished product with you :)

From sketch to final draft, here is my journey - enjoy!

Painting "Puppy Eyes" Bernese Mountain Dog

I have done several of these "step-by-step" blog posts now, so I will let the photos speak for themselves.
I hope you enjoy this artistic journey!

Painting Clooney...

I always start with a freehand sketch.  I learned at an early age how disappointing a traced image can be :)  (no chicken comments - DAD!)
This is my impression of the Clooney photo after all, the little imperfections are what make it mine.

Filling in the background is one of my favorite parts.  It sets the mood for the whole painting - in more ways than one!  If it goes smoothly the painting usually goes smoothly.  It also helps me choose if this will be a playful painting or more realistic.

Time to fill in some fur!  The dog takes shape quickly, fast brush strokes work best for me when creating a furry look.  No concern for details at this stage, I'll take my time with those later...

And here is the finished Clooney painting!
The fine details are in; eyes, nose, mouth, highlights.
Thanks to Renee for lending me her puppy photos for this painting.

The Making of Sadie

Here is a step by step peek at a custom piece I did 2012/2013...
This piece is carved from wood then painted and varnished. The finished piece measured approximately 9" by 20"

The first step, after discovering the perfect piece of wood was to sketch and start creating the different depths for foreground, background and subject.

Sadie part two...

After the sketch, I really look for depth and start playing with textures. The image will start to take shape in the next step...

Sadie part three

Now that I've found my depth and decided on the textures for my different areas I finish carving. The balloon needs to jump out of the sky and the Saint Bernard pup cannot get lost in the foliage. I carefully remove wood until the image starts to come to life.

Sadie part four - time to add color!

Now that the carving is complete its time to color Sadie's world! Sometimes the hardest part for me because there are millions of choices! Every part of the painting is a mixture of two, three, sometimes four or more colors. The better to breathe life into my imaginary world.