2.22.2010

The Secret's Out!

Well, I can finally show you one of my two latest "top secret" projects! I delivered the original this morning, and it has been given to the recipient for whom it was commissioned, so I can now share it with you! Here's the final piece....


This is a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy - isn't he a cutie? You can read more about the breed HERE. The friend who commissioned this piece asked if I would add the "in progress" pictures of this piece to my blog for the recipient to see, so below you can see the painting progress to its final finished state...

This was my reference photo from my client... from which I made my sketch...

 Once I got my sketch down from my reference photo, I transferred it to my watercolor paper...

I started work with laying in some of the background - leaves, texture on the ground, some pebbles...
Salt sprinkled over damp watercolors creates a nice "rock" texture...


Continuing with the background, deepening shadows, creating texture in the leaves, and starting to add in some of the soft browns on the face...

Deepening shadows, adding more "background" leaves, scumbling on the foreground,
 and starting to lay in some color on the paws...

Every doggy needs a nose!

On the reference photo, the background is so dark that parts of the puppy's dark fur blends in and gets lost in the shadows... So I lightened the foliage up a bit and added some highlights on the puppy's fur to make its shape stand out. (Incidentally, I saw one of these puppies at Petsmart the day after I finished this painting, and you wouldn't believe how soft their fur is! Wow! So cute and cuddly...)

I found the black part of his fur to be the most challenging - in the photo, it is so black and dark that you really can't see much detail and he gets a little lost in the foliage... So I tried to lighten it up a bit and add some "highlights" in order to suggest form and highlights, while keeping it dark enough to show the inky color of the real fur.

And finally, just touching up little details, deepening shadows, and finishing things off...
(Fueled by Cherry Herbal Dr. Enuf, the beverage of champions...)

Scratch in some little whiskers and highlights on the fur and leaves with an exacto knife, sign it,
 and - voilĂ - it's done!

I will have prints and cards of this little guy available soon on my website and on Etsy.
 Meanwhile, if you're interested in commissioning a portrait of your own furry friend, please contact me!

Thanks for being patient before the secret was out! I've got one more trick up my sleeve, but you will have to wait a while to see it! Meanwhile, I hope you have a lovely week...

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3 comments:

  1. Holy Moly, Beth!!!! What a process. This is really a faithful rendering. I love this type of dog...well when it's a puppy. The full sized versions are HUGE. Nicely done.

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  2. WOW Beth - Kathy and I love the portrait. Hans is adorable! You did a FABULOUS job - we are all in Awe of your work ethic and finished product. Hans was a special boy and now will live forever in this portrait! He was 157 pounds at his best and was the most gentle giant you ever met! I personally so thankful to you for the in process pictures it's great to see how much goes into this and we both feel even more blessed to see it all and all enjoy the finished product more! Thanks for this - it means a lot to all of us! But most of all Kathy!

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  3. Thank you, Beth for sharing your processes. It's really cool and informative to see how you ended up with the finished results.

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