Painting Nanta Dog

My sister is bonkers about her dog, Nanta, and with good reason! Nanta is a very sweet dog. Nanta is getting on in years, and starting to slow down a little. I painted this portrait of Nanta for my sis, as a gift. Shhh ... it's a surprise! (She doesn't know about this blog, so I think my secret is safe for now.)

7x5 inches, oil on gessoed acid-free mat board

The surface is acid-free mat board with three layers of sanded gesso. I toned the surface with a very thin coat of burnt sienna. I use water soluble oils, to protect my lungs from chemicals in turpentine and to make cleanup easy.

I drew Nanta from the photo at the end of this post. Because this is a surprise, and Nanta lives hundreds of miles from me, I had to choose from the photos my sister posts of Nanta on her Facebook page. I chose the photo below because the lighting brings out the texture in Nanta's coat. 

To paint Nanta, I loosely followed the method I've been working with lately, which involves completing a monochromatic "dead" layer first to adjust values before adding color. Normally, I would start with an underpainting in burnt sienna, but I thought this piece would be fine without it. Here's my dead layer:

Dead Layer

When the dead layer had dried completely, it was time to add color. I normally paint two transparent layers of color. I block out color with the first and add vibrancy with the second. I used a limited palette to paint Nanta: ivory black, titanium white, French ultramarine, yellow ochre and burnt sienna.

Limited Palette

Here is a photo of the completed first color layer. Normally I work with the background at this stage, but I liked the way the toned canvas complimented the rich colors in Nanta's fur, so I left it visible. I painted crude shadows in front of Nanta to "ground" her.

First Color Layer

I added the second color layer when the first was fully dry. For this color layer, I pushed the lights and darks, and looked for interesting color juxtapositions. I noticed subtle blues and greys in her fur, and brought those out where I could.

When the second layer was completely dry, I added the details that are so fun to paint. They  make the painting come to life! For this painting, I focused on Nanta's eyes, nose and whiskers.

The little copper frame I chose accentuates the warm palette of the piece. I hope my sister likes it!  

Finished and Framed



Real-Life Nanta

Great Salt Lake Waterscape

This little painting captures the dance between the ripples in the shallow water of Great Salt Lake and the shapes the water's movement makes in the sediment just below the surface.

I used this piece to explore the Flemish method, which involves several steps: imprimatura (toning the canvas), a drawing, an underpainting, a monochromatic "dead" layer (allowing for adjustment of values before adding color), a first transparent color layer, a second transparent color layer (adding vibrancy), and a finishing layer (adding final details).

Sold.

A Trio of Tiny Paintings of Icelandic Wildflowers in Vintage Italian Frames

Claire and I explored an active volcano in Iceland last summer. Delicate wildflowers blanketed the volcanic rock. I painted them for her, to remind us both of the adventure we had that day. I found the small, ornate, frames and thought the wildflowers would play nicely with them.

These paintings are 1.5x1.75 inches each, requiring tiny brushes and a steady hand!

For more information about these paintings, click here.

Woman with Umbrella at Great Salt Lake

The bright sun, the billowy clouds, the burning sand beneath our feet, and the cool, shallow waters of Great Salt Lake -- it was a beautiful day, and this tourist composed herself perfectly for me.

I used this piece to explore the Flemish method, which involves several steps: imprimatura (toning the canvas), a drawing, an underpainting, a monochromatic "dead" layer (allowing for adjustment of values before adding color), a first transparent color layer, a second transparent color layer (adding vibrancy), and a finishing layer (adding final details).

Sold.

Selfie with Dinosaur

A roadside attraction near Front Royal, VA, features over 50 life-sized species of dinosaurs. Each is a work of art. I stopped to meet one the dinosaurs in the parking lot, and promptly fell into make-believe.

The strong palette and sharply defined facial and reptilian features work to enhance the cartoonish theme of the piece. This little painting is not for sale. Click here for more information about the piece.

Be sure to stop at Dinosaur Land if you're passing by!

Claire's New Haircut

My daughter is camera shy; she rarely smiles for photos. On the day I took the reference photo for this painting, Claire had just come home from the hairdresser, and was especially pleased with the results. She went inside, put on a fabulous shade of lipstick, and emerged ready for a photo shoot. I told myself then that I'd paint her confident, radiant, smile someday. It took a couple years, but I did!


This one isn't for sale; I'm sure you understand why. For more information about this painting, click here.