I just finished my first commission of the new year. This is a Labradoodle named Bailey. He's a fun loving fellow who lives in the Pacific Northwest and enjoys duck hunting, boating and spending lots of time at the beach with his favorite humans.This painting is done in gouache and it's quickly becoming my medium of choice. I love the way it flows off the brush and it's opacity. Because it is such an opaque medium you can paint light over dark and dark over light. This really helps me when I have complex fur like the curly coat on Bailey. I can keep working back and forth over an area to achieve the texture, values and colors I need to bring his coat to life.
You may be noticing that I have more background in this painting. Usually most of my portraits have a very minimal background because I like to focus more on the animal. The folks who commissioned this wanted this scene because it's special to them, but I have also decided to start challenging myself to paint more landscapes and this portrait gave me a great opportunity to try that.
Hope you enjoyed seeing Bailey. Perhaps you'd like a pet portrait of your own or for someone special. They make awesome gifts! Just give me a holler and I'll be happy to paint something special up for you!
