I would like to introduce everyone to “Buster”!  He is the sweetest little mini-schnauzer.  I met Buster and his mom and dad last winter in Yuma and they commissioned me to do the painting.  We had a great little photo shoot and here is the “pose” they choose for me to use as reference…..

Buster Photograph
Buster Photograph

Such character and determination in the eyes….but that’s a Terrier for you!  Just gotta love that sparkle!

Here is my sketch……this is where I begin…..

Sketch of Buster
Sketch of Buster

This is a very rough sketch of Buster and it looks like I may need to round out that left eye a bit!  Overall though I’m pretty satisfied.  I do this sketch for two reasons.  The first is to familiarize myself with my subject.   I’m looking at all the different shapes, the values, and especially the direction and length of the hair.  I do my sketching on tracing paper so that during the painting if something looks a bit off….I can simply place the tracing paper sketch over the painting and easily see where the problem lies.  I could take this sketch to the next level and turn it into a “drawing” but I’ve found that graphite just isn’t a favorite medium of mine.  It seems I always end up with more of it on me then my paper.  For me it is all about the paint…..all the “magic” happens at the end of my brush!

I will be working on a 12 inch by 12 inch birch board with a 3/4 cradle.  The ‘cradle’ refers to the edges.  I like the smooth surface of the birch as opposed to the tooth of a canvas.  I also like that the finished painting can be traditionally framed or hung just as it is for a more contemporary feel.   Stay tuned……next post…..IT’s all about the paint!

 

8 Comments

    1. Thanks Naomi! Glad you like the sketch. I certainly didn’t start out doing sketches that well…it takes time and practice. I too needed a “little help” and found lots of good teachers out there willing to share their techniques….which is what I’m trying to do here with my blog…..share and hopefully help someone else with their “creative journey”!

  2. Deb, it’s already brought tears to my eyes! I’m so excited about being able to follow this. Thanks. Can’t wait to see y’all this fall!

    1. Hi Fran! So glad you stopped by to check out your little guy and thanks for being so patient. I know it took me a bit to get this on my easel. We are looking forward to seeing y’all again as well! By the way….”Happy Belated Birthday Girl!” I saw some of the pics….looks like the b-day girl had an awesome time!

  3. I’m really looking forward to seeing Buster’s portrait come to life. We used to have a terrier-corgi mix, and she was one of the best dogs in the world, so terriers have a sweet spot in my heart. Thank you for sharing your preliminary sketch, and thanks for telling us why you use tracing paper. All these little bits of information are helping me learn! Will you be transferring your sketch to the birch board, or creating the image again freehand?

    1. Hi Harmony! Great question. I will only be transferring some of my sketch to my painting surface. I will not transfer the entire sketch…just the main outlines of the face, ears, nose, and eyes.

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