It's fun to paint little 7x5 pet portraits! Keep reading to see the steps and the finished piece:
Whenever I paint an oil commission, I first affix the canvas into a foam core box like the one I make for shipping wet oil paintings.
Once the canvas is attached, I tuck strips of paper around it so I don't have to worry about paint getting on the box. When I paint the canvas side edges, it can get messy:
The background colors are roughly blocked in, so now I use a neutral tone to shade the dog. Painting the shading first helps to see where the shadow side is especially when the subject is white (because white paint on a white canvas doesn't show up - only the shadows do!):
Over the shading, I paint fur details. I use warm colors such as pale yellow on the sunlit side and cool colors like blue on the shadow side:
The black of his nose and mouth are next. Lighter gray highlights create rounded shapes:
Eyes are next. There is a tiny white highlight on the sunlit side. I also add more details and soften the fur:
His pink tongue is last:
After everything is finished, I remove the strips of paper and voila - a clean background! I like how it looks when the image wraps around the side, don't you?
 |
| Bertie Pet Portrait - White Schnauzer Poodle Mix - 7x5 Oil on Canvas |
Bertie's foam core box is ready to be taped together and inserted into a mailing box for a safe journey to my client:
I'm happy to take custom orders. Contact me for a custom painting of your pet, home, garden, grandkids, favorite vacation spot or whatever your heart desires.
To receive my posts by email, fill in your email address under FOLLOW BY EMAIL in the right hand column and click Submit. You'll receive my posts in your email inbox at the end of each day that a post is made.
No comments:
Post a Comment