FINAL ENTRY :)

 After spending way too much time thinking about background and practicing with a couple of different ideas, I reached the final decision that less is more. I have opted to go with a pale shade to accent Biscuit's dark rich colours. The rocks were a last minute thing, and placing them unobtrusively under water played in with the rest of the washy look (an insightful observation by hubby). All in all, I am quite satisfied with the final piece. As such, I have finished painting Biscuit.

 Working on such a small scale was new for me and I learned a lot. It is clear that you could spend a life time with water colour and you could still learn and be surprised at the outcome. After all, water is fluid and has a mind of its own so mastering it is probably a pipe dream for me but it is fascinating and I enjoy it immensely. A toast to Biscuit 🍷

CN

ENTRY #3 :(

 Up until yesterday, I had been spared the misfortune of accidentally dropping a brush or spilling coffee on a painting. For an artist it is horrifying. I must have gotten some paint on my sleeve and then leaned on the painting (several times!) before I realized it.

Luckily, hot press paper can take quite a bit of abuse and after several scrubbings I was able to fade them out somewhat. But whether it is enough I will only know once I work on the background. And speaking of background, the next stage will be to decide just what direction to take in that regard. These foreign markings have forced me to reconsider my options.

CN

ENTRY #2

Stretching water colour paper is an over-night process, so I have time to work on some practice pieces to get a feel for colours and shading. There will be a lot of layering and time spent waiting for layers to dry, as hot press paper does not absorb as well as cold press.

So, we have established the finished size of the piece to be 10 x 12 inches. Biscuit is sitting in the water and I feel it is necessary to include his reflection in order to preserve 'the feel' of the scene. This means his image will be somewhat smaller than it would normally be for a painting this size. But I am ready so will pull out my small brushes and get started. I am really hoping that I can finesse this.

CN

ENTRY #1 :)

Meet Biscuit. She was Ellen's beloved Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and her bestest friend. The reference photo that Ellen provided surprised me a bit--it is not your typical dog 'portrait'. While it is true that the eyes are the window to the soul and express the spirit, I must say that this photo touched me in another way. It denotes a cherished memory for Ellen and has an ethereal quality to it that expresses the strong bond the two shared. I wonder what Biscuit was focused on?

Biscuit's coat is thick and rich with a myriad of colours and tones. It will definitely be a challenge for me. Already, I am off to Iron Oxide in Nanaimo to purchase two new pigments. And because this is a water scene, it will require a lot of wet-on-wet technique so I have decided to invest in Arches hot press water colour paper, 300 lb. Like most beginners, I started with cold press so this will be a journey of discovery for me. So looking forward to it.

CN