Ben's Dogs- Watercolor

Hurricane & Berserker

watercolor 9X12

I have had some family things going on lately and was away from home much of the time- so not much painting being done.  I have managed to fit in a few new paintings, and this is one of them.  My daughter in law posted a photo of their sweet puppies on Facebook and I knew I had to paint them.  They were in the car waiting to be let out to play- I just loved the faces and the way the sun was shining on them.  They aren't actually puppies anymore, but that is how I think of them.  They are both "scary" breeds, but couldn't be sweeter!  Now I find myself in the mood to paint more dogs- maybe another watercolor of my own sweet standard poodle.

New in My Studio- Watercolor of my puppy, Jinx

I love to paint and enjoy painting a large variety of subjects. One area I try to avoid is painting animals and people...nothing with a face, basically. I don't know why, but I just never gained any confidence in that area. I have decided it is time to do something about this irrational fear. I am starting with my cute puppy, Jinx- I might as well start with something I like, right? The main problem with painting people and animals, isn't making them look like a person or an animal- it is trying to capture their unique personality. I know I can paint a dog, but will it look like MY dog? My other concern is the black fur and trying to give it texture without painting every curl and wave on her head. In the photo, her left eye isn't really visible so I am changing that- even though we rarely see her eyes unless we are outside and the sun is on her face! This is my progress so far today, after about an hour (including the drawing). I am starting with getting some of the shading in so I can see a shape. I will post the finished watercolor tomorrow and welcome any helpful tips.

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl