These paintings were difficult for me because I know the dogs. My work wasn’t doing them justice. What I wanted to achieve wasn’t in the photo I was working with. I imagined a different pose and a front lit image. I’d get so angry that I paid $250 for these pictures.
I still had to finish.
I identified a main problem and set a goal each day toward fixing it.
Anyway, here’s what I came up with. Hope she likes them!
A good artist knows when to stop. I keep going until it’s the best I’ve ever done.
Here are some tips to achieve magic, or a painting that’s musical:
Play music (if you need to focus)
Candles (if you need to relax)
Paint in public (if you need to work)
Tips before starting:
Identify the important things in the story, like eyes
Identify the shortcomings of the image, like it’s unbalanced or backlit
Have a reliable source tell you when you’re done and then move on. Everything is just learning. This painting taught me:
Neon pink doesn’t exist in oil paint
Gesso works well for big mistakes
Don’t use thin canvases because the pores are too big
Texture use wisely, it might look horrible in different light.
