Woody - a much-loved dog

WOODY

detail from

Original Painting

20"x20" - Oil on Canvas

Private Commission, NFS

- scroll down to see the portrait process -

Step 1 - positioning him in the frame. They wanted me to add his favorite hamburger toy to the painting, so I put it where my dog usually holds hers - and it was perfect

You'll notice that the eye on the right is a bit too far to the left - I fix it in the next step. It is always tempting to put animals' eyes too close together. Human eyes are about one eye-width apart, but animals' are much farther apart.

Step 2 - Warm undertones
These colors add warmth and depth to the dog's body before I layer the fur over it.

Step 3 - Blocking in shadows and lights

Step 4 - Refining

Adding more depth to the fur and detail to the face.

If you would like to see larger photos of the 4 steps, please visit Daily Dog Painting - the thumbnails there are clickable and will show you a larger image: http://www.DailyDogPainting.com

The FINISHED painting