Blog

 The Drawing....   Hunter is a beautiful King Charles Cavalier who is treated as royalty by his adoring owners.  I first visited their home and spent time getting to know Hunter.  I took over 100 photographs of him in various places in the house and outside.  I am sure to take only NON-flash pictures, so that I get all the shadows and don't bleach out the colors. Most often I need to utilize multiple shots together in the painting to get the subject at it's best and the best environment.  This time, I was lucky and had to do very little 'editing' of just one photo for my reference.  I apply a neutral wash on my Centurion Deluxe Oil Primed Linen panel.  A charcoal drawing gives me the roadmap I need to get accuracy for size and likeness.

 The Underpainting...  Using a thin oil paint/turp wash, I begin defining the values and shapes.  This starts to show the depth and dimension within the painting.  Keeping it thin, I can later use glazes to deepen the color and values.  It also makes it easier to correct any drawing errors I find. 

 Painting...  At this stage, I want to apply the paint thicker and use an oil medium instead of turp to control the consistency of the paint.  With animal portraits, the most important thing is to get the face (and especially the eyes) right; so that's where I start.  I always tell my clients that I am not just painting any Cavalier...  it must be their Cavalier (or whatever animal it happens to be.)  If I can't get the face right, then the rest of the painting won't work. 

Painting and Tweaking...  I continued working on Hunter, and painted the gray couch surface at the same time so I could work on softening the edges of the fur and the couch together, so he didn't look like he was cut out and pasted on. 

In the previous stage, he looked a little stressed and angry, so I had to readjust my drawing somewhat.  Here he looks more relaxed.  Not sure how I wanted the background pillows to play a part in this painting, I showed the painting to the clients for their input, and to see if Hunter was working to their satisfaction.  I went back to their house for their input, and they made the decision about the pillows.  I still was not completely satisfied with Hunter's left eye... It looked a little bulged.  So I worked on the highlights and shadows around the eye, creating a deeper socket, and lowered it a teeny bit.  The final painting will show that change. 

 Hunter, oil on linen panel, 18"x24".   Finishing the pillows, I completed the painting.  (By the way, the pillows took as long to paint as did Hunter....)  I also applied a thin Paynes Gray glaze over the background and the couch and deepened the shadows. 

After getting the final 'OK' from the client, I let the painting dry completely, and then varnished the painting with a Gamvar semi gloss picture varnish.  This brought back the luminosity of the oil paint and added a protective layer to the surface.   I hope the clients will love this painting as much as I loved painting it.