Looking To The Light (Dalmatian painting)

Looking To The Light - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

SOLD

Here is the finished portrait of little Sydney who I wrote about a couple of posts ago. I feel a bit tearful now she is finished and in a way am reluctant to stop working on her. I suppose that maybe it is the close relationship an artist feels with her/his subject which is the reason for this - I feel now I am letting her go.

On a practical note, I hope you can see the amount of work which has been put into her eye since the WIP - I sometimes think I spend as much time on eyes as on the rest of a painting! To those who wonder how such a small area can take such a long time, I can only say that I keep altering the expression until I feel it fits the dog. As I explained in the Charleigh Bear Boxer portrait, this means that it will not always be the same as in the reference photograph, or even if the same, some parts will be exaggerated and others played down. I would also point out to would-be dog portrait artists, that you should take note of the eye shape - it is so important and so frequently got wrong and remember not all dogs of the same breed will have identical eye shape. After all, breed standards, which are blueprints as to the ideal of a particular breed of dog, are very open to interpretation and of course mongrels or mixed breed dogs will have a huge variety of eye shapes.

Sydney was rescued by Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia 

My thanks once again to Diana Morgan Crush in whose home Sydney was loved and who took the reference photograph.

If you would like to contact me please email me at info@azpaintings.com

Dalmatian WIP 'Sydney'

Looking To The Light - 7" x 5" oil on hardboard/masonite

Here is my latest 'evening' (or 'relaxing') painting - or at least as far as I have got with it.

I had very mixed feelings about painting this particular Dalmatian called Sydney as her story is rather a sad one...

Sydney was a puppy rescued by Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia, and she was suffering from a disease called megaesophagus. The rescuers did all in their power to try and give Sydney a chance at life - and in fact worked extraordinarily hard to do so. Her progress was followed by many of us on facebook, enchanted by this sweet, frail puppy. Very sadly her struggle with life became too much for her  little body to take and she was released from this existence with love and compassion. 

It still brings tears to my eyes as I write this and you may wonder why I decided to go ahead with her portrait. I suppose for me it is a way of honouring both her existence and the massive efforts made on her behalf by DRSWV. I think it goes without saying that the donation from this painting once it is finished and sold, will be going to the rescue who did so much for her, and who give so much time and care to rescuing and finding forever homes for Dalmatians in need - Dalmatian Rescue of Southwest Virginia.

If you would like to contact me my email address is info@azpaintings.com

My thanks to Diana Morgan Crush for allowing me to use her photograph

Addendum : this painting is now booked for purchase on completion

The Circle Of Life

The Circle Of Life - 7" x 5" on hardboard/masonite

This painting is very special to me; it was inspired by the monthly challenge on the Daily Painters International Art Gallery which this month has been anything to do with dots and/or circles. 

I think anyone who has the slightest knowledge of me wouldn't be at all surprised to see that my rendition of a 'dots' painting would involve a Dalmatian in some form or other! However, this painting also reflects the 'circle' aspect in that it involves 3 generations of my own dogs - the circle of life. The black spotted dog is Emma. She is no longer with us and I don't think a day goes past that I don't think of her - we miss her more than I can say. She was Hazel's mother - Hazel is the liver-spotted girl - and in this painting Hazel's puppies are snuggling up to their devoted grandmother with the complete approval of Hazel. It was a very beautiful scene and reasonably unusual as often bitches will not allow even their own mother anywhere near their puppies. In this painting the puppies are 9 days old and their spots are just beginning to appear. Dalmatian puppies are born pure white, except for any with patches - solid areas of colour usually on the head - and pigment round their eyes and on their noses. At this age they are totally helpless with their eyes shut and their ears not yet open. We of course kept a puppy from this litter - we only breed when we want a puppy ourselves - and this little girl became our Angel who in her character often reminds us of her sweet grandmother.

I hope that this painting will be purchased by someone who will also find it special.

SOLD

(and to those who wonder, sold to the person who bought my first painting posted online and who has become a special friend)

This painting is straight off the easel and will need several days to dry before it can be shipped.

All I Want For Christmas Is You

All I Want For Christmas Is You

10" x 8" Oil on hardboard/masonite.

Here is my latest painting.

Who could resist this gorgeous Dalmatian puppy? The most wonderful Christmas present anyone could wish for. Don't forget though - a dog is for life not just for Christmas.



10% from the profits of the sale of this painting will go Save The Dalmatians

SOLD

Christmas cards of this image will be available during this coming week from my main website www.azpaintings.com

Drawing - how much, how little? AND A Smiley Spot

A Smiley Spot

Back at last and I thought it would be interesting to reply to Sophie's comments on my last blog in detail.

She mentions using a softer pencil trying to achieve a darker drawing. Certainly a soft lead will enable a darker line to be made - a darker, softer line. The harder the pencil, the sharper and lighter the resulting marks will be. From my own experience, I would never try and draw with an 'h' pencil as I find them far too hard. Like Sophie, I also tend not to press very firmly when I draw and I don't get on with 'h' pencils. I have found the drawback with the soft 'b' leads is that they tend to be messy although it's possible to lay in some lovely shading effects with them. Since I draw - other than as a preliminary to a painting - very little now, I use my trusty 'hb' pencil. I find this just right, not too hard and not too soft. It is soft enough to be responsive and yet hard enough not to be messy. It is easy to erase and for my purposes, just perfect!

I would suggest that if you are keen on drawing, you should go to your local art shop and buy a box of pencils of varying hardnesses. Buy a nice sketch pad as well and then, as I am always saying, practice, practice, practice! Art is such an invididual thing that what one artists swears by, another cannot abide.

However, one thing I can say is that drawing in order to achieve a pencilled finished piece of artwork is very different to the drawing required as a guide for a painting. I hope you can see from the photo in my previous blog 'Talking About Drawing' (not a brilliant photo I'm afraid) that the drawing is really just an outline of the major points to help me when I start the painting. It is also drawn lightly as I don't really want it seen in the finished painting. You certainly don't want to be trying to paint over a mass of pencil lines; for a start your watercolour paint would just skim over the surface and not be absorbed.

So Sophie, and anyone else who is thinking about painting, when you make your preliminary drawing, don't try and put in too much detail - let your paints do this. If you do decide to use soft 'b' leads, be aware that they smudge very easily and will spoil the white surface of your watercolour paper.

As an aside, the 'h' and 'b' sizes given are the English sizes - I'm afraid I don't know if they are the same in the US or elsewhere.

The painting I have included today is one of a small number of my paintings which are now available as prints and greetings cards. This is the first time any of my paintings have ever been available other than as originals and I am planning a selection of Christmas cards which I will be making available shortly.

I think the oil painting above would make a perfect picture to hang in a bedroom with the smiley red face making waking a little easier! As I said, this is also available as a greetings card and although it doesn't have any message on the inside - as I thought this would make it more versatile - I think it would make a smashing 'get well card'.

Let me know what you think!