WGD Rest in Peace

My heart is heavy today.....I have recently learned the news that the WGD, Maja has gone over the "rainbow bridge" as her owner has so eloquently referred to her untimely demise. If you know of Maja, you may have been  one of the thousands that were rooting for her. There was a glimmer of hope a week ago when we all rejoiced that she was stronger than ever and going in for chemo. Unfortunately she lost that battle but not in vain, her spirit lives on.

Although I have not had the opportunity to meet her, she's been pretty much my main focus over the past few months. It's been an absolute privilege to paint her, see her photos that her owner has shared of her good times and sometimes not so good times. She's touched many people's hearts from afar and I was one of them.

I hope I have done her justice with this painting. RIP Maja.
  
"The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of its master."

Her she is....just some minor tweaking to do, so love this picture!

I've had a serious flu over the last week and a half so I used that time to paint! It's almost complete! I'm quite happy with the way it's shaped out. Her fur has been the biggest challenge for me. The photo that I used for this, the photographer used a blurring technique so that it was very clear around her face and then got fuzzy/faded out near the bottom so difficult to see how her hair moved/fell into place. So I improvised.

I'm excited to have an artist friend over who was showcased on this tv show that I'm currently addicted to called Star Portraits. 3 artists paint the same subject and come out with 3 different outcomes. Just love this show. Anyway, this one artist has this realism technique that is outstanding will drop by to help with finalizing my painting. Just want some advice and also will be taking a painting course from him. I'm forever a student, if I like a certain technique of an artist, I will seek them out for private classes. It's a win win for everyone!

Anyway, the next post of the painting will probably be the finished product so fingers crossed peeps!

Maja the great

Well this is a bittersweet post. I've been painting over the last few days. Home sick with a nagging cough but I can still hold a paintbrush in my hand! So I was just getting set up to paint and I turned my cellphone on to get my Facebook and Twitter updates when I saw an update about Maja. Her cancer is back again and it seems like the Wilson family will have to make some big heart heavy decisions.  I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to paint her. This dog is truly special. She's had the most wonderful life, possibly better than most humans! She's been loved and adored by many near and far and been a wonderful faithful pet and companion. She will be fondly remembered by so many. I hope my painting will do her justice.

Moomoo really starting to come to life.....

I'm someone that is usually more critical of my own work and I must say I'm actually feeling quite happy about the way this is turning out. I'm grinning right now :D ear to ear. More work to be done, more shading and perfecting but yeah, this is going in the right direction. Are you feelin' it out there?

This is how it starts.....

This technically should be the very first post....oooopss, my bad! Oh well....it's a learning curve. This is how I begin each time I sit down to paint. You may see my "chicken scratch" for handwriting above, I assess the painting, which colors I see both light, dark and in between, and then I hit the art store to buy materials! You don't have to buy every single color, most colors you can blend to make the colors you want. For instance, here I have a beige-y tone that I'm trying to capture, so as you can see, I've mixed a bit of all those colors to achieve that hue. And once I've mixed the colors and say I want to continue on another day or maybe a week later, I cover this palate with some plastic, or even a plastic bag and pop it in the freezer. Then the paint doesn't dry and when I'm ready to paint again, voila! I'm sure Martha Stewart already knows this trick....that B* knows everything! ;)

Add a little Linseed Oil

For those who have always been curious about the technique of painting, this is for you! So Linseed oil adds gloss and transparency to paints.  I mix a bit in with the color I am using to give a more sheer coat of paint when I don't want it to be so thick and opaque.

Working it out...

So Now I'm beginning to do some corrections and reshaping the "MooMoo's" nose here. She's got a more refined snout! Working on her eyes and tones on her face. More paint is always the cure!

And this is where I'm at for now....

So now the painting is finally taking shape. I'm feeling a bit more comfortable with it too, I can be so hard on myself sometimes! Now lots to do still, tones are still too light so will be deepening the colors, Maja has the loveliest dark rich brown coat, I'm determined to capture it correctly! I still have to shape her eyes out a bit more to get the right expression, she's a pleaser and it shows on her face. I also have to work on her mouth too, will begin taking form as I layer on more paint. I like to step back from the canvas often, it helps to get an overall idea of how the project is developing. I still have to work on a bit of a dip at the top of her head too. And also work on her snout a bit more! It's a process, but.... you likey? Hope So!