Working on a Doggie Commission

I was recently asked to do a commission painting of 4 dogs. My first instinct was panic, but once that passed, I said, "I'd love to!"

I had my client email some images to work with, and with a little Photoshop magic I positioned all 4 pups on a big chair.

Working on a 16" square Gotrick canvas I covered the entire surface with a thin wash of quin gold. Then I started blocking in some colour, only thinking about breaking it down into simple shapes (as I learned in a recent Janice Robertson workshop).

I worked one area at a time, trying not to get panicky about painting in every little dog hair and detail. Every now and then I would stand back from the easel and say "Wow, that's not too bad," (a phrase that I picked up from my nephew, which means, ha that's good).

About half way through this project I realized that the painting was to be a gift to my friend's son, who has many ailments. It was to help him "Get out of his funk". That made the process even more special for me, so I added a few hearts to the painting.

In the third image you can see that the doggies are starting to be recognizable.

At this point I wanted to add the Mike Svob affect, as discovered in a workshop that I took with Mike in April. By adding small bits of colour you can push your painting to the edge (hopefully not over the edge). Can you see the "punch" that the final painting has compared to the the third image?

Last but not least - what will the client say? After sending a quick email with a picture of the painting to my client, this is the reply that came back...


"You are fantastic...That is wonderful...I love it....."

Now just a few more finishing details and it is ready to get shipped off to it's new home and make a beautiful present for a wonderful young man.


Till Next Time ...

From the Prairies, to the West Coast and Beyond...

Susan