Thursday, December 27, 2012

Portrait painting of two black Labrador Dogs

This was my last portrait for 2012, finished in the (Saint) nick of time to be a surprise Christmas present from my collector to her husband.  This is Stella and Gus, sister and brother black Labs.  The reference photos were taken in a hurry and that really does influence the details of the finished painting.  Both of these were taken from above the dogs looking down.  Your angle is one more thing to consider when you take photos whether it is for portrait painting references or your own photo collection.  Try to get down to dog eye level for some shots and see the difference it can make.  Speaking of photos, this is not a very good one of the painting as the light is uneven and color is off.  I had to hurry them off in the mail so no time was left for accurately recording the finished painting - tch tch.

I think you can tell that Stella (on the left) is the boss of the pair.  Gus is a softie.  Sadly Stella's time with her family may be short now due to cancer.  I am happy for them that they got this painting as a lasting tribute to her and her bro.  What will Gus do without her?

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Happy Birthday Black Lab Tallulah

This post is belated due to holiday madness, but we celebrated the big birthday on the actual day.  Dec 5th my "Tallulah Bear", officially Whitsprgs OtterTail Tallulah RE, CD turned 7 years old.  It is hard to believe how fast the years have gone and now she is considered a senior.  Don't tell her though, she still acts like the same crazy kid as always!

The weather was great and we had an extra long walk with a December swim in the pond.  I had to scold the birthday girl for being so wild with the younger dogs that someone might get hurt.  At least in her "old age" she listened.  Then there were special treats with dinner and extra loving all around.

Happy Birthday silly girl - You keep us all on our toes!