Thursday, August 3, 2017

Painting a dog in oils by Sandra Reeves Cutrer Fine Art

 A beloved dog's portrait in oils on an 11" x 14" smooth Masonite panel.



NOTE: Click on any of the photos to view them larger than they are posted on the blog.
As always, I start with a simple sketch. I use a wash made from a mixture of Alizarin Crimson red and ultra marine blue- equal parts. I add  some turp to a bit of this, thinning the paint so I make a good outline of the sketch, and start placing some of the 'darks' where they need to be in the under-painting. Always with oils, you will need to add some of your darks first. Since this is a "black" dog (remember there is no real black in nature), I am actually adding a reddish under-painting. This dog has a reddish/purplish skin underneath her coat.

Here I have started placing some of the lights on the face, and a background layer. Nothing is close to being completed here., that's why I call it ,"The UGLY Stage"!

I start to place some of the dog's coat colors in at this stage. I always allow my under-painting to dry before adding another, or I will end up with a "muddy" mess!

I am perfecting her tongue and teeth, have the eyes close to being completed. More of her gorgeous coat layers are added.

As you can see, I have added more and more layers of her shiny dark coat, with an equal parts mixture of the Alizarin Crimson.

This custom ordered dog portrait is completed. She is painted in oils on an 11" x 14", prepped and smoothed with Gesso, Masonite panel. Note the detail of the dog's ears. And, yes, that is a true white spot in her left ear (right when viewing), her owners never noticed on her- until they saw the painting!

I hope you've enjoyed reading my blog, and seeing a few of the steps in creating a dog in oil paints.
I would love to create a custom painting of your pet.Please contact me from this blog, or my email address: sandrasart777@aol.com

Blessings,
Sandra Cutrer Fine Art

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