Dalmatian watercolour - Chloe

16" x 20" watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT paper

Today's painting is a watercolour on my favourite paper. It's what I would describe as a good tempered paper, allowing a fair amount of scrubbing before complaining! As I've described before, the surface is neither rough nor smooth but as Goldilocks would say 'just right' - for me that is. NOT stands for not hot pressed and hot pressed means smooth. I would suggest that if you're new to watercolours and want to have your paintings framed, you should avoid using the lightest weight of paper unless your paintings are very small. I've seen countless paintings starting to wrinkle when framed because the paper wasn't substantial enough. I've described sometime ago in this blog about stretching watercolour paper and in my opinion, it's a vital step and something I do even with heavyweight papers. In this way I never have to worry about the amount of watery paint I apply to the surface and always know the paper will remain nice and taut. 

On to the painting now. Well I think you'd have to look far and wide to try and find a prettier face than this little girl. I think she's absolutely lovely... and I hope you do too!

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Watercolour Cocker Spaniel Painting

Watercolour painting on Saunders Waterford NOT paper

This week's painting is a watercolour for a change. 

To get the depth of colour needed for a painting such as this, it's necessary to paint in many layers when you're painting in watercolours. One of the issues you might encounter is the lifting of layers when you're trying to add them! Another potential hazard is that your painting can look overworked and dull so I always advise that a light hand should be used, dropping colour in but not pushing it around. It's also important to have a paper which while being absorbent, isn't overly so. 

If you have any questions, please post them here or email me at: info@azpaintings.com

Anne

Watercolour Dalmatian dog portrait painting

Watercolour Dalmatian - Otto - on Saunders Waterford NOT paper

Another Dalmatian today but this time slightly different as I'm going to also show a WIP (work in progress just in case anyone was wondering). This boy was painted in watercolours - I hope you like him. 😊

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Watercolour Dalmatian portrait (Peanut)

16" x 20" watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT

Well I hope everyone reading this had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year and in fact is still having a good new year! I started 2016 with a sickly computer and a sickly me. Neither of us was seriously ill but it did make posting too difficult to struggle with. However, we are now both back and fully fit!

I'm hoping to get back to posting regularly now and if you have any comments or there is anything you'd like to see or have discussed,  please let me know.

As I say under the painting, this lovely Dalmatian was painted on Saunders Waterford NOT. For those of you new to this blog and not familiar with watercolour papers, you might wonder what NOT stands for. It actually means NOT hot pressed. Hot pressed watercolour paper is very smooth as opposed to rough watercolour paper which is.... yes, you guessed it, rough. NOT fits in between the two. I use Saunders Waterford as I find it a forgiving paper, meaning that it is possible to be relatively rough with it. I always suggest to people new to watercolours, that they pop along to their local art shop and buy a selection of different papers to see which they like best and which suits their style of painting best. I find Saunders Waterford paper to be like Baby Bear's porridge in Goldilocks and The Three Bears, that is, just right! 

Anne

Belgian Shepherd Dog - Groenendael

16" x 20" Watercolour 

Having been negligent of this blog for so long, it's quite difficult to try and catch up and at the same time of course this is a very busy time of year for artists. So this is my excuse for my postings, some of which are going to be rather brief! Please accept my apologies.

The above painting was one of three Groenendaels painted earlier this year. They were commissioned as a surprise gift so a lot of secrecy was involved! 

If you do have any questions you'd like to ask me, do feel free to either comment below or email me and I will get back to you, or if your query is of general interest, will publish it in this blog.

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Standard Long Haired Dachshund

20" x 16" watercolour - Aus Ch Laurieton His Masters Voice

Today's post is of a very handsome standard long haired dachshund. Not only a gorgeous looking dog but also one in stunning condition and looking so healthy. A real pleasure to paint! For those who are wondering what Aus Ch means, it is Australian Champion.

At the moment I'm wondering whether I should migrate this blog over to Wordpress and wonder if anyone has any views on this? I'm also unhappy with Feedblitz which sends this post by email to subscribers. I'm unhappy with it because of all the advertising plastered over the email but I'm not sure if there is a good alternative. I suppose I should research more but there are only so many hours in the day and at the moment most of them are taken up with painting. Talking of which, I must get back to it now!

Thanks for looking!

Anne

info@azpaintings.com

Rhodesian Ridgeback Watercolour Portrait - Simba

Rhodesian Ridgeback - Simba. 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT

Another recent commission - this time a watercolour. A much loved and very sadly missed beautiful boy. As far as I can see there is really only one thing wrong with dogs, and that is that however long they live, it's not nearly long enough...

My next blog entry will be a mini watercolour tutorial - can I hear "at last"? Apologies that it's taken so long to post!

Anne

Saluki watercolour

Saluki Watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT

Tonight I'm sharing one of my recent(ish) commissions. As it says, it's a watercolour, 16" x 20", on my favourite paper Saunders Waterford NOT. For those of you who don't know, NOT stands for not hot pressed which means that the surface has a small amount of texture rather than the completely smooth surface of hot pressed.

If you have any comments/questions, please feel free to either leave a comment here or email me at info@azpaintings.com

Artist questions and answers

I quite often receive messages from other artists asking if I could share my 'secrets' and also which working materials I use. In the past I've replied to each separately but thought it would be a good idea - and save time! - if I wrote about any hints and tips I can give on my blog. So - if you want to know, just ask in the comments.

To start the ball rolling I will discuss my watercolour materials, colours and brushes so if you have any questions before I begin, please let me have them now. Otherwise, I shall start discussing my working methods in the next few days.

If you want to email me and keep your name private, please do so to info@azpaintings.com

Border Collie - watercolour dog portrait

Border Collie - watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT paper

I think a lot of my readers will have a similar problem to mine - not enough hours in the day! Some things are left or not given enough attention and I have been concerned about my blog. I would love to hear from you to know what sort of contet matter you'd like to see - bearing in mind of course that it will be art related! Do please be in touch to see if I can make my posts more relevant or interesting to you.

My email address is: info@azpaintings.com

Many thanks - Anne

Champion Affenpinscher Watercolour Portrait

Champion Affenpinscher - watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT

I thought it might be nice to show some of my previous paintings - and some them rather unusual breeds. The painting above is of a champion affenpinscher - I wonder how many of my readers have heard of this breed before? Do you agree with the fact that they are often described as 'monkey-faced'? The word affe in German means monkey - hence their name!

If you have any questions or would like to commission a painting, email me at info@azpaintings.com

Dalmatian Watercolour Portrait Commssion

Stella - Watercolour 20" x 16"

Another completed Dalmatian portrait - what a pretty girl!

Cocker Spaniel - wip#2

Watercolour Cocker Spaniel Commission - Work In Progress #2

Here is the painting quite a bit further on. You can see that a lot of detail has been added to the body and head of the dog although the legs still need a lot of work and of coure it does need more work all over. I'm not sure how easy you'll be able to see that the sky has already been painted, but it has - it was the very first thing painted in. The grass will be the last area painted.

While I'm mentioning the sky, I'd like to stress the importance of taking it right up to the edge of the drawing and even overlap a little as there is nothing worse (well there is of course!) than seeing a blank area of white against the outline of the dog. If you try and fill it in it will usually dry with hard edges and look glaringly obvious. With detailed watercolours, you do need to have to think ahead more than is necessary in oils.

I will post the finished painting soon, although I can't promise it will be tomorrow - time will tell!

Cocker Spaniel - watercolour work in progress

Cocker Spaniel Commission - watercolour work in progress

I've just spent some time searching my blog as I couldn't believe I hadn't posted for so long! Well, it seems that is accurate and so I'd better pull my socks up and get posting more regularly.

Today's painting is pretty much self-explanatory and as can be seen is the beginning stages of a watercolour cocker spaniel. Still lots to do of course but the basics are all there.

The next work in progress will follow shortly.... (hopefully tomorrow)

Dalmatian (Magic) - watercolour

Ch Dvojica Voodoo - Watercolour on Saunders Waterford NOT 

16" x 20" (external mount measurement)

Today's painting is a portrait of the top winning bitch, Magic. Here is a list of some of her wins: 

She is the biggest winning Dalmatian in UK history and was Top Dalmatian in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. She is also the holder for the most amount of Best of Breeds at Crufts, and has won the most amount of Groups and Best in Show at Breed Club shows. She has also won the coveted titles of Dalmatian of the Year, for 2005 and 2009. 

Phew! 

More importantly though she is a much loved and loving pet.You can tell so much about the character of a dog by looking at its face and it is obvious from looking at her that Magic is sweet natured girl. What a doll!

If you would like to commission a painting, please email me or click on the commissions page of my site.

Shih Tzu watercolor painting (head study)

Violet - 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford paper

Following my full body portrait of Violet, her owner was so pleased that she decided to commission me to paint a head study of Violet. It is always a pleasure to paint these little dogs - they are so confident of their own importance and you can see it in their expressions. Violet's owner tells me she is no exception and always expects to be the centre of attention (and she gets it!)

I thought you might also be interested to see a photo I took of the painting when I had reached my initial  'stage one' phase ie I had painted her eyes and nose - although neither of these finished - and a rough blocking in of the rest of her head.

If you have any questions, either about a painting technique you think I might be able to help you with, or about a painting you'd like to commission from me, just drop me a line at info@azpaintings.com 

Cocker Spaniel Champion

Sh Ch Wiljana Waterfall - 20" x 16" watercolour on Saunders Waterford paper

This is another of my Christmas commissions - well not strictly Christmas as it wasn't a present but a painting to honour the memory of a much loved girl who lived a full life and to a very good age. A top winner, she achieved the fantastic win of Reserve Best In Show at the world famous Crufts Dog Show in 2000. 

This photo isn't as good as I would have wished as it was taken as the light was getting low but hopefully it is good enough for the detail to be seen - and also for it to be obvious what a very beautiful girl she was.

To commission a painting or purchase an original or print, please visit my main website or email me at info@azpaintings.com

Cocker Spaniel painting

Sh Ch Lujesa Happy Too - 20" x 16" watercolour

Yes, another Cocker Spaniel (okay for my American friends, English Cocker Spaniel). This painting was a gift and so I could not show it at the time it was painted. These dogs have such sweet and appealing faces it's hard to remember sometimes that they are energetic and talented gundogs. Over the years, I have met very many of these dogs and have found them to be as affectionate as their sweet faces would imply! If you are an artist contemplating painting one of this breed, I can only say to make sure you get their meltingly sweet expressions just right!

I hope you enjoy viewing this painting as much as I enjoyed painting it. If you would like to commission a painting of your pet, please email me at info@azpaintings.com

Cocker Spaniel portrait

Cocker Spaniel - Sh Ch Dillonpark Ambrogina - 20" x 16" watercolour

My apologies for lack of posts recently but back to normal now.  Unfortunately I can't show you some completed paintings as they are gifts and I wouldn't be very popular if I spoiled the surprise! 

However, here is a painting I can show you; the cocker spaniel - or as my American friends would call her - English cocker spaniel - Show Champion Dillonpark Ambrogina. I will have to check with her owner when I next speak to him but I believe I am right in saying she is the all time top-winning black cocker spaniel bitch in the UK and as you can see is a very beautiful girl.

I did manage to take one work in progress photo. I have done a lot of work on her eyes even at this stage as I always find it helps to build a relationship with the subject. (I think maybe it's a good thing that artists have a reputation as being a little 'odd'!!)

The ears show the first layers of paint which just mark out areas of shade and start to build form and there is no attempt at detail. However, you can see I have been putting in the coat and much more detail in her head, although this too is at a very early stage. 

If you have any questions or would like to commission a painting of your pet, please email me at info@azpaintings.com or you can click on the Commissioning a Painting tab above.

Saluki Head Study

Saluki - Ch Glenoak Ishaara 20" x 16" watercolour

As Dean Grey at Exploding Doughnut commented that he had never seen a saluki before, I thought I would post another one here - this time a head study.

To commission a similar painting please email me at info@azpaintings.com