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Angi, Step II

"Angi," work in process, 16" x 20", commissioned dog portrait of a Leonberger, acrylic on Ampersand Gessoboard, private collection (THANK YOU!). Inquiries may always come to me.

To see what this painting looked like at the end of the day yesterday, click here.

So today I took the painting deep into what a friend of mine calls "The Uglies." This is the stage where the various pieces of the painting are not harmonious or working as a whole. The hardest part (for me) when a painting is in "The Uglies" is to hold onto that inner image of what it will look like when done and persevere.

What is my focus now (other than forward thinking and persistance)?

Well, first I re-drew Angi's entire face, doublechecking my measurements (eye to eye, eye to nose, length of ears, drape of tongue, etc). I then refined my values (the measurement of light vs dark) so they were relatively close to what I want in the finished piece. I started softening interior edges, building the planes of her face up.

At the same time I set my references aside and began laying down whatever color pleased me wherever I felt it was needed. Because there are still many layers of paint to come, the majority of the marks I've got on the board now will be covered up - mostly. There will be places where that pink in the lower background peeks through, and that lovely turquoise around Angi's eyelid will sing with a swath of lighter ultramarine drybrushed overtop.

Keep in mind this is a BIG painting - 16" x 20" - and her right eye alone is about 1-1/2" across. There is a lot of space for playful brushwork, and I'm going to take full advantage of that!

But meanwhile, I am going to dwell on the beauty of her right ear, and bring the rest of the piece up to that level.

Thanks, as always, for looking at - and sharing - my artwork with your friends and family.
Kim

PS Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Oh boy, do I have lots of places to send you:

SHOP ORIGINALS & LIMITED EDITION GICLEES: at my Etsy shop
ORDER CUSTOMIZED NOTECARDS & REPRODUCTIONS: at Imagekind
COMMISSION A PET PORTRAIT: contact me (I've got a couple holiday spots left)
GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE: contact me
READING MATERIAL: Preview and order each of the Dog a Day books at the publisher's website: The First Year (2006-2007) and That's 14 in Dog Years (2008). If you would like your copy personalized, order them through me.
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