I finished this portrait of Foxy, a sweet German Shepherd, a while ago and am just now getting it uploaded here. Seems that the time flies by, and I realize that I am not attending to this blog as regularly as I should. But I digress...
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| The completed portrait of Foxy, the German Shepherd Dog. |
A while ago I held a contest to win a pet portrait. The rules were simple, post a photo of your pet to my Facebook page and whichever photo inspired me to paint, would win! Well here is the original winning photo:
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| The original reference photo for Foxy's portrait |
I just love GSD's. They are so loyal, faithful and sweet that I couldn't resist this photo.
As with all of my commissions, I spoke at length with the winner about the portrait throughout the process. It may sound corny, but I love to hear stories about the pets that I am painting. I want to know their temperament and anything that helps me get to know the soul of the animal. I really think that it helps me connect with the animal and, in turn, create a better portrait. She requested a 16"x 20" canvas and she wanted a green background in reference to the plant beside Foxy in the original photo. As I neared completion of the portrait, I showed it to her again, and she thought that Foxy's coat needed to be a bit darker than she appears in the original reference photo. When all adjustments were made, this is the finished portrait and she was quite happy with the results!
Here is a detail of Foxy's eyes. I truly believe that a pet portrait is all about the eyes...once I get the eyes right, the whole portrait comes together...This dog is such a sweet, gentle soul who would do anything for her people. What do you think?
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| A detail of Foxy's eyes - the window to the soul... |
A funny thing happened after I gave this portrait to Foxy's family...They told me that they had to move the portrait from its original spot because Foxy's doggy sibling, Oscar the Pug, kept barking at it. I guess it looked real enough to him!
As always, if you are interested in ordering a pet portrait or any painted project, please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks for looking!
