Charlie, acrylic on gessoed board 6x6in (15x15cm). The day was fantastically sunny, which meant it was difficult to get the right shot of this white dog - one that did not reflect too much light and make him appear bleached out, although with too much contre jour he would lose shape and look too dark. So, I got him to turn slightly to catch some sunlight, which defined shape and form with reflected light from the ground. For the painting, I began with the darks of the eyes, nose, and mouth, then blocked in the blue greys, using ultramarine, ivory black and titanium white. In the light reflection under his chin I added yellow ochre, mixing it on the board before the paint had a chance to dry. I added slightly lighter blue greys then I applied the background colour to generate contrast. At the end of the painting I brushed on thick titanium white to define the light shapes and to create the forms of the fur and whiskers
•Acrylic colours: ivory black, titanium white, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, Winsor violet
What better way of practising your art than creating a painting study of your pet. Familiarity with your subject goes a long way towards success and you will already be familiar with your pet in terms of colour, size, type of fur and so on. You will also be familiar with their character, which will help to infuse any recognisable traits your pet may have. We are all different and animals are no exception - especially pets - from the shy temperament types to the disruptive ones, the cheeky biscuit thief to the ‘I’ll do anything for a bit of salmon’ personalities. When you know the character of an animal, you are more likely to capture that in a portrait or figure study.