“Luke,” 6” x 12”, German Shepherd commissioned pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (THANK YOU!).

Luke is a rescue, and true to his breed, intense, alert, intelligent, independent, and full of attitude. Painting him at attention seemed like a good solid choice for just such a personality. (Although it’s rumored that Luke secretly thinks he is a mushy, lovey, lap dog.)

I used a triad of color in Luke’s painting. Oranges, Greens, and Violets. The key to this combination is choosing colors that form an equilateral triangle from the color wheel. I also really focused on the subtlety of the neutrals that I used, holding off on touches of bolder color simply to pinpoint details and accent the focal point. Of course it also helped that Luke’s markings lent themselves perfectly to this, but I did also exercise some restraint!

I also am very happy with the brushwork here. The outer edges of the canvasboard have only a layer or two of glaze, but the central portion/focal point has at least a dozen layers of paint.

Thanks, as always, for looking. And for forwarding these paintings on to friends and family.
See you tomorrow!
Kim

Kimberly Kelly Santini
http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/
distinctive pet portraits
& 4-legged paintings

http://www.paintingadogaday.com/
come. sit. stay.
enjoy the art.

Founding member of the Canine Art Guild
http://www.canineartguild.com/
the gateway to canine art on the web