December 5, 2009 - Day 117

Acrylic on 200 lb Multimedia Aquarelle watercolor paper

Really had to rush with this painting tonight because it was 10:30 pm before I actually sat down to paint.

Sometimes I find it is harder to paint light subjects because I usually don't get the base coat dark enough to really allow the highlights to pop. That was the case with this dog. My base coat could have probably been a lot darker than what I used.

December 4, 2009 - Day 116

I started the day by painting these two Rottweilers but then I couldn't decide which one I wanted to post to my blog and which one I wanted to list for sale on eBay. In the end, I decided that the Rottweilers were a really nice set to sell so I made a new painting for today's blog.


Acrylic on 200 lb Multimedia Aquarelle watercolor paper

I am very happy with the way all of today's paintings turned out. I really like the way they look and I look forward to painting more. It is ironic that my dog paintings are turning out so well considering that I am a cat person.

I am painting much looser with these dog paintings. I only used a fine liner brush on the eyes, tongue and coller. The rest was done with a larger round brush. I quickly "sketched" in the base colors then added the mid-tones and highlights while the base coat was still wet (if possible). I am also using colors that are not natural like royal blue, bright yellow and lavender which I never would have considered using before.

Right now I am really inspired by these paintings and will continue to paint them until inspiration leads me in another direction.

December 3, 2009 - Day 115

Acrylic on Strathmore linen canvas

Well, my dog paintings are starting to improve. The face is better on this one but I am still having problems seeing the shape. I really like the way the dark fur looks but the lighter tan color isn't quite right. I just don't know what colors to mix to get the shade that I am looking for.

I have been using yellow ochre mixed with a touch of burnt umber and white but it isn't quite right. I am not really sure what to use but then again I have seen animal paintings done in non-realistic colors that were fabulous. I guess I just need to focus on getting the form right and not worry so much about getting the EXACT shade of tan that I am looking for.

December 2, 2009 - Day 114

Acrylic on Strathmore linen canvas

I am starting to really like this style for my dog paintings. While I greatly admire photo realistic paintings and love the level of detail that the artists' achieve I am finding myself drawn to this style of painting as well.

In creating for this project I find that I am starting to develop my own style. I seem to be gravitating towards animal and still life paintings with minimalistic backgrounds. It will be interesting to see whether I end up sticking with those subjects or move on to something else. I still want to try portraits as well as science fiction/fantasy paintings. For the time being though I am going to continue to work on dog paintings in this style.

December 1, 2009 - Day 113

Acrylic on Strathmore linen canvas

I have mixed feelings about this painting. On one hand I kind of like it because it is funky and vibrant but on the other hand I don't like it because it is not absolutely realistic. I am starting to get the hang of painting fur and it definitely requires using thicker paint rather than using thin layers.

I need more practice seeing and painting the form of my subjects. It doesn't matter whether it is a flower, an animal or an object getting the form right is crucial to creating an accurate painting. With hard and smooth objects it is easy for me to see the form but with a furry animals or soft flower petals I find it difficult to see what the form is. If I can't see the form then I have problems painting the subject.

With this dog I really didn't know the angles of the snout to the rest of the head or how the snout joins with the face. I think I almost got it right but there is something not quite right with it. Once I am able to identify where the problem is then I can usually fix it the next time I paint the same subject.

November 30, 2009 - Day 112

Acrylic on Strathmore linen canvas

Another failure. I just don't know what I need to do to paint realistic fur. I re-painted this over and over and still couldn't get it right. I like the area around the eyes but that is all I like about it.

I think I am going to go down to the library tomorrow and see if I can find some good books on painting animals in acrylic.

November 29, 2009 - Day 111

Acrylic on Strathmore linen canvas

I finally had to admit defeat on this one. It is like all it would need to be a good painting is one something but I don't know what that something would be. My gut instinct tells me that if I added some very light highlights that the painting would come together. I am afraid to try that , though, because if it doesn't work I would have to start all over and I don't have the time or energy to do that.

This painting frustrated me enough that it has challenged me to do better. I think I will do a series of dogs so that I can learn how to paint them more accurately.