Very Big and Very Small

Two new dog portraits at opposite ends of the size spectrum: a great dane and a toy poodle. I'm referring to the dogs' sizes, not the portraits' sizes.


"Eamonn" - 7" x 8", mixed media (ink, watercolor and color pencil) on Ampersand Claybord

Click here to see the video of the steps in creating this portrait. It explains the process and how I work with the different mediums to create a full color portrait like this one. I haven't done very many of these portraits on the Aquabord, but it's a great surface when a client wants a full color, realistic portrait (as opposed to a full color "Petzazz" style portrait like the one below). The surface is textured (it was formerly called Claybord textured) and can be scratched to add detail.


Reference photo provided by Eamonn's owner

Next is the painting I did of Missi, who was the mascot at Dancing Dog Productions in Auburn, CA. I first met the owners of Dancing Dog when I showed my art there during an Art Walk many years ago. They're wonderful animal-loving people and we've become friends. When I first met them, they had Sipsy, a poodle mix. After Sipsy passed, they acquired Missi, a toy poodle. Sadly, Missi has passed on also. She was a funny little dog, and the photo I used for reference was one I took during an Art Walk. A friend and I were getting her to beg for food which is the reason her ears are "flying" back. That goofy look led us to call her the Flying Nun (those of us of a certain age remember the TV show starring Sally Field).


"The Flying Nun" - 4" x 5", watercolor on Yupo


My photo of Missi

I know the color is pretty wild, but I really wanted something vibrant to capture Missi's fun spirit. I used red, orange and yellow for her hair and then a smattering of blue color pencil on top of that to help bring in some depth.