More Milo Progress

Continuing on with my giant Milo portrait (whilst watching foggy olympic mens slalom in HD - wow, the fog is so ... um, crisp), I've added some heavier blocks of colour, tones and shadows. Looks like I've covered almost all of the canvas and am now ready to get down to some larger detail. This colour doesn't really reflect his true coat yet, but with more layers I will build upon that. He's really beginning to take shape though - so far so good.

After my two and half hours in front of the canvas today, I decided to take a break from the acrylic fumes, go for a walk and then continue reading my current, multi-times read (yes I re-read over, and over and over), Dean Koontz novel.

Upstairs, on the bed with Brandy, reading away in my own little world, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. It turns out that either hubby did not close Mr. Chameleons cage door very well or the little bugger is damn smart and uses his oven mitt hands rather well. He decided to take it upon himself to exit the cage and go for a jaunt around the master bedroom, while Brandy was observing. I'll admit, it scared the hell out of me for a second to see a colourful, free-range lizard crawling up the bedspread near my face. Just a for a second mind you, he's really just a harmless little fella who thinks he's tough. Thank God I have a well behaved little dog who wouldn't dare lay a tooth on the chams. But had that been a cat or some furry creature crawling around my bedroom, I'm sure the outcome wouldn't have been as pleasant or bloodless.

I don't have a clue how long he'd been wandering, but he's been returned home now, with the cage secured (and double checked), heating up under his lamp. He really does like to come out and enjoy our company, but I'd prefer that he did it on our time, not his.

Milo Painting Progress

I got down to business today on this expansive painting, and was able to create a very subtly patterned background and block in colour on Milo himself (whislt watching the olympic mens ski-cross event - awesome!).

So far I enjoy working at this much larger size than I am used to. Though there is, of course, a lot more canvas to cover, at this size I am able to be a little more free with my brush strokes, and have found that I'm using less paint than what I thought I would.

So here is the background with a bit of patterning, which I toned down in the previous step as I found the colours were too harsh. I didn't want the pattern to take away from the dog, so I reduced it by over-painting with the original solid background colour (the lighter of the stripes).

And here is Milo beginning to take shape. I've blocked in most of the basic areas so that I can determine the darks from the lights and shadows.

So far so good, and I am already pleased with how the progress is coming along.

And now, I must take the dogs out and prepare myself for the Canada vs. US mens olympic hockey. I don't know if I'll be able to handle it, the suspense is killing me. Go Canada Go!!

Biggest Painting to Date!

A friend that I met through agility trials has given me the opportunity to created the largest piece that I've ever done to date. It will be a 3 foot by 3 foot acrylic painting of her beautiful Vizsla, Milo, and what a sweetie he is.

I will be documenting the progress of this painting (Hopefully. I'm so bad at the documentation process - I get carried away and forget to take pictures, which I suppose isn't a bad thing, but it hampers my record of progress on certain pieces) on this blog. 

I thought I'd share two initial images, one showing the size of the canvas, the other showing the initial under-drawing.

Yes, that is me and Brandy attempting to show you just how big this piece will be. Three by three, well sure, I could use a ruler and figure out approximately what I was going to be delving into, but when you're a short person, with a short dog, you really get some perspective when you can handle the canvas in person, and take a picture of yourself (or your little dog) beside it. She's a big one!

This sketch may not be overly visible (you've got to look really hard to see it, and I mean really hard), but I wanted to add it in for progress purposes. Not being able to scan a 3 foot document really hindered the image quality as the camera just can't capture the lighter lines of pencil like the scanner can.

I've had to now designate my laundry room as the "painting room" for this piece since the spare bedroom, where I normally work, just isn't accommodating the overly large canvas (the bed and dresser seem to be in the way).

So stay tuned to this blog for more progress updates on the painting of Milo. This should be a great experience, and will hopefully encourage me not to be afraid to "go larger" in the future.

Coloured Pencil Portrait - Jaida

Beautiful Jaida, finished a few days ago. This is an 8"x10" coloured pencil piece that was an absolute pleasure to complete. 

I have been in the process of returning to 8"x10" pieces, instead of the 9"x12" pieces listed on my web site. For some reason, frames for 9"x12"s are almost non-existent now in the retail stores, and I prefer to create pieces that are ready to frame for my clients so that it is not necessary for them to go out and pay 100's of dollars for custom framing. Many of the frames that can be purchased through retail outlets are quite nice, and there is a large variety to choose from in the 8"x10" size.

It is a shame, because the 9"x12" is a really nice size, and the paper is readily available at art supply stores, but I would like to stick with a size that makes life easier for my clients. So there will be a small price adjustment to reflect the smaller size on my pricing page.

Good CPE Sunday

Have you heard of CPE (Canine Performance Events)? It's another organization that holds agility trials throughout the US and parts of Canada, and I've got to say, I love it!

I highly recommend it for those first getting into the sport. I find the atmosphere more laid back than AAC, the courses are usually more forgiving for those getting started and there are lots of different games to play.

Brandy and I attended the Acton Agility CPE trial this Sunday, coming away with two new titles in Level Three. The little dog was fast, happy, and though not always spot on, she was listening well, and ran great over all.

Check out the CPE website for more details, or visit the Acton Agility website to see when the next trial date is.

Personalities and the Dogs We Love

After reading the post "The Right Dog" on "The Other End of the Leash" (Patricia McConnell), about how well our personalities coincide with the dogs we choose to share our lives with, it got me thinking about my own dogs, and how they've fit in our family.
*If you are interested in dogs and their behaviour, I highly recommend that you read Patricia McConnell's blog (above) or any of her books for that matter. She is an excellent writer and a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

Brandy? Yes, well, she is "the one". The similarities between our personalities are uncanny. The stubborn, back-talking, independent little brat with an extremely intelligent mind of her own, who is well read, some-what clean and hates following others can describe Brandy, or, if you like, it can describe me rather well. We just mesh and fit well together. We love our own space, are not clingy or needy, love to be active, physically and mentally, we get antsy when we don't get our daily exercise (but I don't chew my feet...wait, that's not true!), and we want things our own way, though we will defer to others on occasion...grudgingly.

After contemplating the above paragraph, I find it amazing how alike we really are. It seems almost impossible to be that similar to a creature who is not of our own species. But there it is, and when you think about it, dogs really are not that unlike us in many ways (besides the rear-end olfactory romps).

That is not to say that she wasn't a pain in the a$$ when we first got her. Heck, she was our first dog, and we hadn't a clue. The sassy little brat was a handful when she was tiny, and took to humping my calf as a favorite passed time until we took matters from her paws, and into our own hands - ah, puppy class. As soon as structure and training ensued, we had the "perfect" dog, in my eyes. Granted, she's quirky at times, again, not unlike myself, but I'm an artist, that's my excuse, and she's a Jack Russell, so I guess that's hers.

Mack, on the other hand, oh Mack. I will fully admit, he just doesn't fit in as well. He's dense, goopey, not well read, is anxious, needy, clingy, bossy but unsure, and basically unstable to put it nicely. His personality completely clashes with my own and Brandy's. I know for a fact, because she's confided in me, that Brandy barely tolerates him. I think it might be the smell, but I'm not sure. I won't claim him to be my dog, as he really falls under my hubby's jurisdiction, and I am truly ok with that as our relationship is rocky at best (not with my hubby, with the dog).  (Mack and my other half do get along, it could be the gas, or even the messiness that draws them together, I'll never know for sure.)

Delving into the personalities of my own dogs allows me to see why and how our relationships are the way they are. The closer in personality to your canine companion seems to point to better relationships, understanding and bonding. The further you are, personality wise, the further you will be relationship wise. This leads me to draw the conclusion that not all dogs will fit well into all house-holds. Sometimes it's in everyone's best interest to allow that dog to move on to a family that fits better in regards to personality, so that the dog, and yourself, will have a happier, more fulfilling life. At times that's just the way things need to be, and though it may be tough, in the end, it's well worth it for both sides. If you have that dog who fits you like a glove, consider yourself lucky, as the assets that you gain from that relationship are amazing to say the least.

The idea of personality matching, such as the one noted in Patricia's blog (Main Line Mutt Match), is a good one, and something that all prospective dog owners should consider when they are thinking of adding a new member to the house-hold (speak to breeders or shelters about temperament tests and personality indicators). The better the personality match, the better you will all get along, and isn't that the point?