Finished at last

Posted on December 14, 2021December 16, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Animal portrait, Art, Commission, Dog, little, Painting, Sweet, terrier, Time4 Comments

This took a long, long time. I can still paint but shaking isn’t helping. If I put things on the easle it’s a bit better, but sometimes I have to hold the painting to add details, then if I try and paint my left arm and hand shakes and the canvas wobbles. So I have to redo things. I wish I wasn’t getting old. Painting means such a lot to me. Then typing, the phone wobbles side to side as I stab at the keyboard. Thank goodness for predictive text! Anyway I hope this little dogs owner loves this painting, she’s been really patient. X

Reading

Posted on December 10, 2021December 13, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bibliophile, Book, Childhood, Dog, Life, Memory, Old Yeller, rabies, Reading, Stories, Story, Time2 Comments

A friend here, @stoneronarollercoaster just asked what book got people into reading as a child.

I remember reading Myths and Legends books from quite early on. The story of Pandora box for instance. I remember them when I was about eight or nine. And when I was older I liked the Nancy Drew Mysteries then Agatha Christie stories.

But the main book that got me was when I was about ten I read ‘Old Yeller’ a book that shocked me as it was about a dog that had caught rabies. I remember it was very sad and made me really aware of death. I’ve never read it again. Maybe I should. I’ve been a bibliophile ever since.

WIP, is he finished?

Posted on November 27, 2021December 13, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Commission, Composition, Dog, fur, Life, Painting, Portrait, Work in progress4 Comments

On the easel today. I think this is almost done, one of the legs and the side of the body feels clunky. It’s basically that the leg on the right side might need bringing inwards a bit, so it doesn’t line up with the bodies edge. I’m also not sure about the grass. But I’ve broken my fast of painting. I have been blocked for ages. Basically because I’ve been scared about how well I would do after having developed a shake on my left side. I think concentrating helps reguce the tremor. I will get this finished. X

Dog work in progress.

Posted on August 14, 2021August 14, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Commission, Dog, Fun, fur, Life, Pet, Pet portrait, Work in progress5 Comments

He’s almost done, looks like a Teddy bear so it needs some more attention.

I am struggling with the fur, trying to soften it, it looks too spiky at the moment. I need to get the ears right and his belly sorted out. The photo I’m working from has him in a dogs rain cover or coat, but that is covering areas I need to paint. Three hours of work and I feel like I’m only shuffling forwards. But I’ll get there.

Dog, work in progress

Posted on July 23, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Animal portrait, Art, Colours, Dog, Fine Art, fur, Painting, Texture, Work in progress4 Comments

Acrylic on canvas, a few more layers. The rough edges of his coat, where they touch the grass, need sorting out. The dig has got a silver coat and a collar and lead on which I’ve left out so I’m trying to decide where the shadows should fall and his fur. I think I’ve made some of it too yellow, I need daylight to check.

WIP dog continued

Posted on July 15, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Colours, Dog, Fine Art, Grass, Green, Painting, Pet, Wip, Work in progress4 Comments

Grass painted and coat underpainted, need to work on the colour and details now. His coat is a bit greyer and I want to get more of the fine fur details.

Work in progress

Posted on June 26, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Acrylic on canvas, Art, Dog, fur, Grass, Green, Life, Painting, Pet portrait, Work in progress2 Comments

So while I forgot to enter the open art exhibition I did at least work on this portrait of a dog. I’ve decided to paint it sitting on a lawn. The original photo had it sitting on a bright blue blanket which in turn sat on a block paving path. I hope it’s owner will like it when I’ve done it.l

Lots of details to add. I need to get the fur shading and colours right, and the thickness of the fur right. The same with the blades of grass. A few more hours work needed.

What’s in a name..?

Posted on June 9, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Alaska, diphtheria, Dog, dog team, huskies, iditerod, Name, Nome, Photo, Seppala, sled, surnameLeave a comment

Image from Wikipedia, I hope I am not infringing copyright.

A name popped up on TV today, an unusual surname, but one I know because I have a friend who has that name.

Have you heard of Leonhard Seppala (spelt with an h). He was part of several sled teams in 1925 that got serum to Nome in Alaska to save people from diphtheria. He went 261 miles in a snow storm to help get the serum to them. The dog sleders efforts was commemorated by the Iditorod annual dog sled race.

I hope he is related to my friend. I think Seppala is a Scandinavian name? It will be interesting to find out.

Blocking in

Posted on May 24, 2021 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged art process, Blocking in, Dog, Pet, Pet portrait, Portrait, Start, terrier, Work in progress4 Comments

I’ve just started a dog painting and I’m blocking in the colours. As you can see he’s a terrier. I think he looks a bit like a Teddy bear at the moment. Work in progress, acrylic on canvas. x

Archaeological dog walking?

Posted on May 20, 2021 Posted in UncategorizedTagged cement, Claws, concrete, Dog, found prints, Paw prints, Photo, Shoes, soles, trainersLeave a comment

Not with those soles!

This was a patch of concrete or cement on the pavement next to a telecommunications box. Maybe someone in forensics could date these soles, their size, the weight of the person? The dog print looks like it’s a large dog, big claws on it. And the crack, did that happen because there are tree roots below it? Why stand on this? I wonder if it was deliberate.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Dog