Thursday 12 July 2012

Something Different

This week's effort is a little different to recent work. I was chatting to some people the other day one of whom was a keen dog owner and I thought there was a subject I'd never tried before so I found a model in the pet of a couple who pop into the local. A quick sketch and a couple of photo later and I had the basic information to give it a go. I think the dog is a West Highland Terrier but I'm no expert so if anyone has a better idea it would be good to hear.

I treated this in the same way that I would a human portrait, starting with the central features, eyes and nose. After that the rest of the features seem to fall into place. An enjoyable experience. 

Now it's back to my Irises and Venice sketches. The current weather in Britain is playing havoc with my normal practice of painting plein air and I'm seriously neglecting the oils so this is becoming a very different year but nevertheless, interesting.


West Highland Terrier - Watercolour on Not paper 12" x 9"

10 comments:

Caroline Simmill said...

Hi Mick, how nice it is to see your latest paintings again, the iris paintings and the coastal painting are just lovely. Very interesting to read about your creative process too. That is a wee Westie dog and you have captured the kind of breed very well indeed. Is this your dog? he looks a fine wee beastie as they say here in Scotland! carry on the great work Mick.

Linda Roth said...

You did a great job Mick! the painting is adorable, just like the dog. Dog portraits are very popular, a nice source of income to offset the cost of art supplies, which are a constant as you know.

Ray Maclachlan Art said...

Great portrait Mick, you can see the character of the dog. I like the subtle way you have given the fur texture without losing the overall white of the coat.

Unknown said...

Caroline - Thanks a lot. Glad to have you back in circulation. I hope you get your computer problems sorted, all sorts of things suffer without them. It's remarkable how much they become part of your life.

No, the dog isn't ours. It belongs to some people I know through their attendance at our local pub. The dog is a real character and it's easy to understand why people get so attached to them when you see animals like this one.

Unknown said...

Linda - Thanks. You are right, these do make attractive pieces for sale and this one has already met with interest but I'm holding on to it to give the owners first refusal. It could develop into a little earner.

Unknown said...

Ray - Thanks. I had to think about this one, depicting fur isn't easy if it's going to be convincing. In some ways it was a case of 'less is more'.

Peter Ward said...

Hi Mick. Just back from a week in Devon. This is very nice. Keep pushing the boundaries.

Unknown said...

Peter - Thanks. Hope the trip has been both pleasurable and productive.

RH Carpenter said...

Well done! If this is your first pet portrait, it shows that your strong background works for any subject :)

Unknown said...

Rhonda - Thanks. Whilst it was a new subject I used the same ideas that I use when approaching landscape or human figure work.