WINSTON – Oil Painting Pawtrait

written by Jen Reichle

ARTIST NOTES

MEET WINSTON This is Winston, an adorable Labrador Retriever who I have had the pleasure of knowing since he was a wee little wiggly pup.  He is a lovable cuddler with an insatiable appetite.  Yes, he enjoys the finer things in life–like sneaking a good steak every once in while–so it is only fitting that Mr. Winston has himself portrayed in the proper manner, as a classy young gentleman.

PENCIL SKETCH I started immortalizing Winston in his personalized PAWtrait.  His face is in a classic profile pose sporting Late Georgian/Regency era gentlemen’s fashion.  The lovely tailcoat, linen shirt, and cravat are all must have wardrobe items from this period.  His tailcoat will be a very deep (almost black) navy blue with golden collar, epaulets, buttons, and decorative ropes.  This will contrast nicely with his white linen shirt, cravat, and various war medals.  After ensuring the sketch is an accurate portrayal of Winston in uniform, the next step is to start painting!

BACKGROUND I start each painting with the background. It is typically best to work from back to foreground, slowly adding each layer as the paint dries.  The photo to the left is the initial stage of the background for his PAWtrait.  The grey blue of a cloudy sky provide a lovely classical backdrop that will complement Winston’s handsome yellow cream coat.  After this layer of paint dries, I will be going back over it to create just the right effect.

COAT COLOR I also had time to start the foundation color for Winston’s regal face.  Here you can see what I meant about the sky and coat color going together quite well.  I always leave the nose and eyes for last because are the most important part of the entire portrait.  Both require time, detail, and for the surrounding paint to be dry.  After this layer dries, I will be adding the first wave of detail to Winston’s face and start foundation painting on his wardrobe.

IT’S WINSTON Here I’ve added the first wave of detail across Winston’s handsome face. He now has more highlights, shadows, and color. His cute little nose is started and the light is shining from his bright eyes. After this first layer of details dry, I’ll be going over it adding more of the darker shadows. But before then, the next step is to start his wardrobe.

CRAVAT & COLLAR Winston’s Late Georgian Era clothing is started to come through.  Here the soft silken details of his cravat have been painted.  This contrasts nicely with the bright bold gold of his coat collar.

Sit, stay, more to come on the post as I paint!