Sunday, October 20, 2013

Painting a Husky


We're hanging out with a family of glassblowers in the high country of Colorado. They own a husky named Dea who has a sleeping mat near the wood stove. The challenge was figuring how to get her to settle around us strangers.


We took her for a long walk and gave her a little taste of honey baked ham. Best friends for life!

She got sleepy and comfortable and curled up in husky style, with the nose beneath the tail, just what I was hoping for. Still, I figured I might only have 15 minutes to paint her before she got up and changed position.

I used casein (black, white, golden ochre, and cadmium green), mixing it on my watercolor palette, and painting with a big round watercolor brush. There was no time for a pencil preliminary, and I was working over one failed start where she moved from another position, so I did all the drawing with the brush.

Painting is a sort of drawing. The only difference is that the brush and paint give you much more versatility and control.

6 comments:

Erik Bongers said...

Nice usage of drybrush technique!

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Very nice
A napping dog is a painting to relax by. I can feel the warmth of a fireplace from your post.

Rich said...

Well, when you say "painting is a sort of drawing", you're probably right.

Looking at your recent posts, I'm tempted to add: "painting is a sort of writing"... at least when it is done and performed with such an ease.

It all looks so easy! The hard years of work behind are not easily noticed;-)

natalya said...

"Painting IS a sort of drawing" YES!!
Lovely work, as always, James.

John VanHouten said...

Very cute. I sketched my dog in that same pose a month or so ago.

Heather Lynn Harris said...

I love to paint dogs too! But I have never attempted from life...I admire your spirit as well as your painting:)