IMAGINE Art
  • home
  • Art
    • Pet Portraits
    • Cat Portraits
    • Horse Portraits
    • Photography
    • For Sale
  • Inquire
    • Rates >
      • Pet Portrait Paintings
      • Bridal Bouquet Paintings
      • The Fine Print
    • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
    • about
    • reviews
    • The Commission Process
    • Why choose Imagine Art?
    • Press
  • Contact

In the Making: "Harris Puppy"

5/18/2015

 
Picture
THIS IS HARRIS. 


Some of you may know him as "Harris Puppy" - world renowned sidekick to Stella the Therapy Dog!
This young pup has the eyes of a wise man, don't you think!?

Stella and Harris' mom provided me with fantastic reference photos for both dogs. Harris' photo held my attention far more than most as his stare is so intense. How often can you get your dog to sit and stare at you, point blank, long enough to take a photo!?  

EXACTLY!


I knew this would be a great portrait!
I start every portrait differently, depending on the colors, hues, facial structure, lighting, and texture necessary.  Each subject will require a certain number of layers of color to achieve that super realistic look. 

With Harris, I started by defining all the dark areas of his face.  
Picture
Picture
I then moved up one step lighter and established all of the dark (but slightly lighter) areas. 
Picture
Working my way up from dark to light, I proceeded to define all the mid tones and highlighted areas of his face. While most of Harris' hair appears to be monochromatic, it has undertones of warm and cool browns, so the first layer is where I put those down.  They become softer as the portrait progresses. 
Picture
You can also see in the photo below where I began to blend and soften certain areas. 

Notice that I have left his eyes and nose completely blank?
Picture
All of the base layer colors give me a sort of map to work from.  It helps me later on in the portrait when I'm more focused on fine details so that I'm not concerned with where exactly that shadow falls on his face, or what direction that tuft of fur moves in. 
Now the fun begins!!

Once all of the base layer colors and tones are established, I start illustrating the fine details. I don't always start with a dog's eyes for a variety of reasons, but Harris' portrait was perfect for doing just that!

You'd be surprised how many different colors are used in a portrait for a dog that is primarily a "brown" or "grey". Harris seemed to be a bit of everything, like a tie-dye dog (according to his mommy). To achieve the illusion of multiple colors, lots and lots of layers of all different colors were used. 

His eyes, on the other hand, are very clearly a brilliant golden yellow even in the photo reference. 
Picture
Picture
You see in these photos that I began turning those blocks of color into hair strokes around his eyes. 
Again, many many layers of color to establish that look of real hair. 
Picture
Picture
Onto the cheeks and snout...
Picture
Once the eyes were done, I moved kind of sporadically around his face with the hair stroke movements. It's a matter of darkening the shadows and brightening the highlights.
Picture
Picture
This is the final effect of all those layers.  They give the illusion of depth! :)
Picture
And now, finally, I filled in the nose. (Always one of the last things I complete.)
Picture
In the final stages, I used stark white and pure black to clarify the really dark shadows and to make the highlights really pop off the paper!
Picture
And last but not least, I filled in the neck and chest.  Because this is secondary to the face, I based the amount of detail as well as colors and tones with those in the face. I didn't want his chest to be darker or bolder than his head.
Picture
Picture
And finally... Harris Puppy is done!
Picture

Comments are closed.

    About me.

    I eat, sleep, and breathe art. I'm fond of horses and put ketchup on everything. =]

    Archives

    August 2016
    May 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    July 2012
    June 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    October 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    February 2011
    September 2010
    August 2010

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Art Show
    Car Decals
    Commission
    Contest
    Custom
    Dog Portrait
    Etsy Shop
    Gallery Show
    Horses
    Horses Riding
    New Site Imagine
    Paier
    Paint
    Pet Fair
    Pet Portraits
    Photo Shoot
    Printmaking
    Prints
    School
    Summer
    Thesis
    Winter

    RSS Feed

Imagine Art Jenna Wilke pet portraits
 203.525.5586
imaginealltheart@gmail.com
"The likeness is superb, the detail is extraordinary, and the interpretation of his expression is magnificent.  When I first saw the piece I was astounded - speechless to the point where I ran out of superlatives for the portrait."  Read more....
  • home
  • Art
    • Pet Portraits
    • Cat Portraits
    • Horse Portraits
    • Photography
    • For Sale
  • Inquire
    • Rates >
      • Pet Portrait Paintings
      • Bridal Bouquet Paintings
      • The Fine Print
    • FAQ
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
    • about
    • reviews
    • The Commission Process
    • Why choose Imagine Art?
    • Press
  • Contact