Project 6: Mixed Breed

A few years ago, I found Laika, a border collie mix, looking lost and alone near our front gate. Since we could not find an owner, we kept her. She was a very sweet and intelligent dog. Two years later, Laika disappeared from our farm. We never found her, and I will always miss her.

Reference Photo

1 Establish the Form and the Dark Values

Draw the dog lightly in pencil, using a kneaded eraser to make corrections or lighten dark lines. Use Payne’s Gray thinned with water and a no. 5 round to paint the main lines and indicate the shadowed areas of the dog. For smaller details, switch to a no. 3 round.

Mix a warm black for the dog’s coat with Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. Paint with a no. 5 round, switching to a no. 1 round for the details. You will need to apply at least three coats, allowing the layers to dry in between for a good, dark coverage.

2 Paint the Middle Values

Mix the bluish color for the light reflections on the black coat with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and a small amount of Burnt Sienna. Paint with a no. 5 round, adding a second coat as the first layer dries. Switch to a no. 3 round for the details.

Mix a reddish brown for the warm coat reflections, the collar and the eyes with Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Orange and smaller amounts of Ultramarine Blue and Titanium White. Paint the coat reflections with a no. 3 round, using parallel strokes that follow the hair pattern, then paint the collar and the eyes.

3 Paint the Light Values and Add Details

Mix a warm white for the dog’s muzzle, chest and toes with Titanium White and touches of Yellow Oxide and Raw Sienna. Paint with a no. 3 round.

Take a portion of the warm black from Step 1 and transfer it to a dry wax paper palette. (This will make the paint more opaque.) With a no. 3 round, paint small, parallel strokes that follow the hair pattern over the bluish and reddish brown areas. Use just enough water so that the paint flows easily, and apply light pressure with the brush. Add a few dark hairs to the white chest marking, then paint strokes from the edges of the mark into the white to integrate. Use a no. 1 round and the warm black to re-establish the shape of the eyes. Add detail to the nose, muzzle and feet.

LAIKA

Acrylic on Gessobord

10”× 8” (25cm × 20cm)

4 Paint the Finishing Details

Add bluish reflection detail to the coat with a no. 3 round and the color from Step 2, softening and blending with the warm black as needed. Add reddish brown detail with a no. 3 round, again using the warm black to soften. For areas where the reddish detail is more muted—the tail, neck and chest—mix a bit of the bluish color with a portion of the reddish brown.

Add highlights to the collar with some of the warm white from Step 3 and a no. 3 round. Use the same color and brush to define the white toes and the white tail tip.

Add lighter detail to the eyes with a mixture of Titanium White, Yellow Oxide and Raw Sienna. Paint curved arcs in the lower parts of the eyes with a no. 1 round.

The subdued background I used in this painting is a classic choice for portraits because it complements the subject without distracting from it. To begin, Imixed a basic background color with Titanium White, Raw Sienna and Burnt Sienna. Imade a modified version of this mixture—Titanium White, Raw Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Umber and a bit of Burnt Sienna—for the dog’s shadow on the wall and floor. To paint the dog’s shadow, I used a no. 5 round around the dog’s outline and a no. 8 shader for the broader areas, dabbing with semicircular strokes. With a fresh no. 8 shader, Ipainted the wall behind the dog with the basic background color, blending the edges where it met the shadow. Next I darkened the upper corners with a no. 8 shader and the shadow color, blending with the basic background color where needed.

For the floor, I mixed together a tan color from Titanium White and Raw Sienna. Ipainted sweeping, horizontal brushstrokes with a no. 8 shader, switching to a no. 3 round around the dog’s feet.