Yesterday I was working at the gallery and took the painting with me. It was a fairly slow day, so I had ample time to work some more on this puppy and child portrait. When I paint portraits I look for big shapes that define the underlying structure of the figure and other elements in the painting.

With each successive paint layer the gap between the different shapes becomes less and less as can be seen in the work in progress image above. This is considered a double portrait (pet and child) and you can click here to see the pricing if you like to order a similar painting for yourself. Now that

both subjects are in place and the light and darks have been determined I will start to concentrate on the detail work. This little girl has freckles which will be added at the very end. Make sure to follow this blog if you like to see the finished piece.

I am so excited to start the new year with a double portrait of a little girl and her Vizsla puppy. This double portrait is supposed to be monochromatic, but little girls love pink and before I knew it I was dipping the brush in pink paint. Right now that soft pink tone is not showing up on the photo, but that will get fixed soon. The original photo by the way, was taken by Max Heidenfelder, who I though has captured childhood in such a wonderful way. The happy expression of this little girl as she holds on to her puppy, who is yawning and about to go to sleep speaks volumes about the special bond that children form with their pets.

This painting will stay two toned and it will work nicely to show you how pretty a monochromatic painting can be. Did you know that my monochrome child portrait prices are at half the rate of a full colored portrait?  I wanted to offer my portraits at a really affordable price for those who are new to portraiture, yet continue painting in the medium that I love best. That gave me the idea of doing monochromatic paintings and if you look at my portfolio you can spot black and white and sepia portraits I created in the past. Now I am paring them with solid colored backgrounds, to add another dimension of playfulness and visual interest. By the way, I am always looking for new reference photos, so if you have a child with their pet feel free to contact me via email. If I use your photo, I will send you a  8 x 10 inch print of the original painting free of charge.

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