Paintings With Soul

"Zoey," 5" x 7", acrylic on canvasboard, commissioned portrait of a Llasa Apso, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may come to me .   I love all the energy in the brushwork defining Zoey's fur. Her coloring made it even more fun to lay the marks down.   It felt good to paint today, the first in almost a full week that I've been back at the easel. I took a handful of sick days, and am just now starting to feel like myself again. I am not a good patient, and I also realized how much I had taken my health for granted. I'll be more appreciative of it from here on out!   Tomorrow is another pARTy, this one in celebration of the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. And, this time around, there is an open invitation to join us. Information on how to pARTy, including the reference photo, is available on the  pARTy blog . But hurry - artwork must be completed and submitted by midnight Saturday.   T...

"Zoey (Llaso Apso Study)," 8 x 8, commissioned llaso apso pet portrait in acrylic on canvasboard, private collection (thank you!). This painting photographed a little lighter than it is in real life - there is a lot of depth in the right side where the silky fur lies in highlight. I started my new class last week, and the teacher was singing the praises of some different colors, so I thought I'd give them an unofficial try-out today. I substituted cadmium red light and cadmium yellow light for my usual dark versions. I wasn't really happy with them at first - change at even the most basic level is hard for me to deal with - but I kept on plugging along. I cheated and went back to my usual palette, just to get the familair depth and darkness in Zoey's eyes. But I kept to it, added some ultramarine blue (another one of my instructor's favorites) and found that once I got used to the cooler tones in the cadmium yellow light, that I was able to make them work in ...

I haven’t ever painted a llaso before, so today I was testing new waters. I know that habitually I space eyes like they might appear on a spaniel, and tried to pay careful attention to the actual shape of her skull. Toys and smaller breeds have a squatter skull, and that needs to be taken into consideration from the very beginning. Otherwise, the fur will not look correct, the eyes will be too close together, and the animal’s likeness will never appear. I used very loose brushwork for all the areas except her face, where I concentrated the most detail and color around her eyes and nose. This suggests the flowing hair and fringes without overwhelming her expression. “Rosie (Llasa Apso Study),” 6x8, acrylic dog portrait on canvasboard, private collection (thank you!). Rosie’s portrait was a commissioned piece – your dog can be part of the dog-a-day project, too. Simply send photos to me digitally ( ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com ) or via snail mail (they will be returned! 346 N Anderson,...

Meet Coco. Everybody loves Coco, and it’s easy to see why. A smile is contagious, that’s for sure. It’s even more welcome on a gray day like today. Llasa Apso Study, 4” square, $50. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with your friends and family! 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