Maltese Poodle Dog Pet Portrait in Oils

Riley is a lovable Maltese Poodle - at least to his owner whom he follows around everywhere.  He is also 15 years old!

My client has a 7x5 oil portrait that I had painted of her dog, Lila, and wants a similar portrait of Riley to hang on the wall next to Lila's.

The photo she sent to the left is the one I will use as reference for a head and chest portrait.

It was taken from above which makes the chest look too small compared to the head. I will fix this in the drawing so it looks like we are seeing Riley at his level.
Read more to see how I painted his portrait!

Forever in Paradise Custom Oil Portrait of Two Young People at a Tropical Ocean Beach

Summer is drawing to a close here, but in tropical places, the beach is almost always warm and inviting.

This custom portrait is of a couple enjoying a dip in the waters of a tropical island. Read more to view my 10 steps to paint this piece:

Watercolor and Ink Landscape Painting from Lake District in Cumbria, UK

Cumbria, England is a remarkably scenic area abounding with blue mountains, lush green meadows enclosed by stone walls and sheep grazing on the hillsides.

I painted this Cumbria landscape several years ago as a 5x7 watercolor. This time, I will paint it at 8x10 using ink with watercolor. It's wonderfully fun! Keep reading to see how.

First Walk on the Beach - Custom Watercolor Painting

Detail of 'First Walk on the Beach'

Sizzling summer days are the perfect time to visit the seashore, and what could be more fun than taking a small child to chase the waves?

In this commissioned watercolor, Grandpa holds tightly to his little granddaughter's hand on her very first visit to the ocean. I had fun painting it. It reminds me of many happy beach days when my own children were small.

To see the finished painting, scroll to the bottom of this post. Meanwhile, I'll show you how I painted it.

Pet Portrait of a Schnauzer Dog in Oil on Canvas

Photo of Nick

German Schnauzer's are wonderful family dogs: intelligent, playful, energetic and protective of family. They can be stubborn, but they are very trainable and thrive on being outdoors with lots to do. So they make good farm dogs too.

Nick is all of those things. He lives with my brother and sister-in-law and travels many hours with them without complaint whenever they visit. We're as happy to see him as he is to see us.

Nick is so special, I decided he needed a painting of himself! To see a short demo of the 6x8 oil on canvas portrait (which was a gift for my brother and sister-in-law), read on...

Whippet Dog Pet Portrait in Oil on Canvas

It's a great feeling when someone who received one of my paintings as a gift likes it so much they ask me to do another painting.

This pet portrait was just that. The client had received a portrait of her dog as a bridesmaid gift. She asked me to paint her mother's dog, a beautiful Whippet named Ekeko.

She decides on a small 7x5 in oil. Read on to see the progress of this pet portrait...

Family Memories - Custom Watercolor Painting of Children at a Backyard Wedding

 Study - Click to see this larger

Summer's imminent arrival brings with it plans for outdoor family gatherings. This custom painting is of children playing a game at a backyard wedding reception. It reminds me of my childhood playing with cousins at family reunions.

The client wants an 8x10 watercolor of the photo she sent. As is usual with watercolor (because it's really tough to correct mistakes) I first paint a smaller study of the scene which you can see above. It beats having to paint the larger version twice!

Pink Orchids Watercolor and Ink Painting Demo

These orchids are amazing. They bloomed for four months (well, I suppose orchids do that), but once the blossoms faded and wilted off, another set of blooms appeared.

I had been wanting to paint them for a while. When one of my students shared a technique she'd learned at a recent workshop, I decided to try it with the orchids. Which is a good idea since the students want me to demo that technique at the next class.

So, here we go! Read more to see this watercolor and ink technique (it's quite fun) and how the orchid painting came out.

Purple Clematis Flowers Original Watercolor Floral Painting

So excited today to see the buds forming on my clematis vine!

This particular clematis, a pale purple variety, has not been easy to grow. The vine is delicate and has taken a long time to establish.

But each year, there are more flowers to show for my patience. And they are so pretty when in bloom!

Last summer when it was in full bloom, I found the composition of leaves, vines and flowers compelling. I went inside to grab paints, brushes and paper and came back out to paint a vignette:

Gray Tabby Cat Pet Portrait Oil Demonstration

A little gray tabby cat makes a sweet oil painting at size 7x5".
"Magic" was with his owner for 16 years of cuddling. He loved the occasional can of tuna as a treat, but did not care for any other treats - imagine that!
My client had this portrait painted as a gift for her husband. To see how I painted him and the completed portrait, keep reading...

Beached Boat Custom Oil Painting

Detail of 20x16 oil painting

An overturned canoe on a white sand beach is a classic scene for an oil painting and this custom commission has turned out to be one of my favorites!

The lagoon is the same as the one in the lagoon and dock painting I demonstrated last week, but the time of day is different.

While the other showed the scene at midday, the lighting in this scene is reminiscent of the quiet of early morning. I captured that effect using color, light and shadow. Read on to see the results:

Beach, Seascape Lagoon, and Dock Custom Oil Painting

Last summer, I was commissioned to paint a 16x20 oil on canvas of a beautiful beach and lagoon. The view extends from the beach to far out in the distance. Though I am certain that I took pictures while I was painting, today, they cannot be found!

But I can use this piece to show how the use of perspective creates the illusion of depth on a flat surface. Just read along to see (you can click images for a closer view):

Dog Pet Portrait of a White Schnauzer Poodle Mix in Oil on Canvas

I had an opportunity to paint a cute little dog for a client a couple of months ago. Her mom has a Schnauzer/poodle mix who is the sweetest little boy you can imagine. My client gave her mom a portrait of him as a birthday gift.

It's fun to paint little 7x5 pet portraits! Keep reading to see the steps and the finished piece:

Flower Girl Reflection - Custom Oil Painting of Two Girls at an Ocean Wedding

With Spring here and the flowers beginning to bloom, it's a lovely time to share a wedding painting I did for a client last year. The reference photo she sent of her two girls attending as flower girls, showed them on a grassy bluff overlooking a picturesque ocean scene.

I love painting ocean scenes especially with children, so it was a joy to paint this piece. Keep reading to watch the progress and see the final version:

Rooster Painting Watercolor on Yupo Paper

It's the first day of Spring for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Spring is the season when I think of Mother Hens with new broods of little baby chicks and a rooster watching over them vigilantly. I love the sight of a colorful roo strutting about a barnyard. I don't have a rooster for my hens (yet), but a neighboring farm always has some.

Since it's a lovely time of year to paint a colorful roo, I decided to do just that and try the painting in watercolor on my new favorite - Yupo paper. Yupo is a synthetic paper that is smooth as glass. The watercolors never sink in as they do on cotton paper, but slide all around on its surface forming puddles here and there until dry. Which means lots of fun waiting to see how things will look.

Keep reading to see how the painting was created...

Pet Portrait of a Shih Tzu dog in oils

What could be cuter than a fluffy little Shih Tzu especially one with a sweet personality that had everyone falling in love with him?

This pet portrait was commissioned by a woman for her husband since they lost their little 'Wicket' recently.  She felt a portrait would honor his memory and keep him always a part of their lives.

Keep reading and I'll show you the process of this 14x11 inch oil portrait on canvas:

Hydrangeas Large Framed Watercolor Painting

Spring is just around the corner and the flowers will be in bloom before we know it! Though Hills of Snow hydrangeas don't bloom until July, they are such a favorite flower of mine that I like painting them any time of year.
I found a 23x37 inch gold wood frame in my studio that I had not yet used. I thought it would be lovely for a large hydrangeas watercolor. Since the flowers are not blooming in winter, I used as reference an 8x10 watercolor I'd created some years ago while painting outdoors in my garden.

Watercolor Landscape Demonstration of a Farm Pond, FieldsThe and Apple Tree

Sometimes when a commission request comes in, one never knows where it will lead. I was excited to paint a watercolor landscape of a farm pond and field. The client ordered it as a Christmas gift for her husband since her family's farm is his favorite get-away.

When she showed the painting to her female family members, they wanted to give their men an original of the scene for Christmas too. So I got to paint it three times! And no two came out exactly alike.

I took pictures of the progress, but some pics are from one painting and some from another. So if you follow how I painted the scene, you may notice variations. But it's basically the same. You can click on any image to see it larger. Here's what I did:

Yellow Labrador Retriever Custom Dog Portrait in Oil on Canvas

Pet portraits are fun to paint especially the little 5x7 portraits for which I get many requests. But even better is painting a large portrait like this 24x18 inch oil of a yellow lab. I love that the setting is outdoors by the sea!
To the left is a detail from the finished painting. You can see the entire piece at the bottom of this post.

Meanwhile, I'll show you how I painted it. Keep reading...

Cottage by the Sea and Flower Garden Custom Watercolor Painting Demonstration

It's Valentine's Day! And SO cold here in New England - minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill. A good day to stay indoors and snuggle with your sweetheart (or a blanket and a good book). It's also a fine day to remember blooming flowers and tropical climes.

So here is a custom watercolor of a very lovely tropical-looking place. The client wanted two of her photos combined to show the scene. She named the painting "Taronga" which is an Aboriginal word meaning 'beautiful view'. I didn't ask, but perhaps the scene is in southern Australia or Tasmania.

One of her photos shows a flower-covered arbor. Through the arbor are steps leading up to a yellow house with a green door.

The other photo shows the arbor's gates closed so you can't see the house, but you can see a view of the ocean.  She wants both a view of the house through the arbor and the ocean in the painting.  To combine them, all I have to do is open the gate!

To see how I do that, read on.