RALEIGH - Oil Painting Pawtrait

written by Jen Reichle

ARTIST NOTES

MEET RALEIGH a gorgeous gal with southern Tennessee charm.  The first thing I notice about her is how expressive her face is -- from the various positions of her ears to her deep soulful eyes.  In order to capture her full charm, I'll be working from two photos: one for face positioning and another with forward facing ears.  The second thing that draws attention is her unique coat coloring with a red-tinted brown, blacks, and white patches.  I plan to pick a background color pallet that complements her unique coat color and the soft colors of 1860s ladies fashion.

PENCIL SKETCH I began working the canvas with a basic pencil sketch.  Her face is angled forward and shoulders slightly to the side (a classic portrait pose).  She is dressed in a classic ruffled lace off-the shoulder evening bodice, typical of 1860-1870 southern fashion.  Being a fair southern lady, she also dawns a fancy wide-brimmed hat and parasol -- all the must have lady's fashion items for this period.  The colors of her attire will be inspired by nature to reflect the harmony and simplicity of this era.

BACKGROUND With most paintings, I start from the background and work my way forward through the painting.  This is the initial coat of paint with background colors and basic shading.  The blue grey textured backdrop and draped tasseled curtains add to the classic portrait charm.  The beginnings of the parasol have also been marked to allow some of the background color to show through the sheer fabric.  After this layer dries, I will go back to add details to the background and start the initial coloring of the parasol.

BASIC SHADING Here we can begin to see that beautiful coat color of Raleigh's that I mentioned earlier. We can also start to see how the background colors complement her and help her to stand out (because ladies always find a way to make an entrance).  I have also begun to paint the shear and frilly details of her parasol.  Now for some drying time and the next stage of painting.

DETAILS: FIRST WAVE This is the exciting part!  Here we can start to see Raleigh come through with the first wave of detail sweeping across her face.  This is the most technical and time consuming part of the painting process as it requires hours of applying layers of details that match her coloring, coat pattern, and hair direction.  After this step is complete, we go into another drying time and prepare to paint her attire.

FINISHED PAWTRAIT Here she is, the lovely Raleigh!  A lot of changes from the last update.  The details across her face have been finished, her attire is complete, and the parasol has it's final coat of paint.  I'm loving how the fawn green seamlessly complements her coat color and the background scheme.  She is truly a southern belle!