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“Feet Off the Ground” - the perfect soundtrack! ...and a video of Octavia the moment Penny won Westminster that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. As Andy Linton’s assistant, Octavia traveled with Penny for two years while Penny was being campaigned. She cared for Penny on the road, exercised her, slept with her, and got her ring-ready….through 66 Best in Shows, 40 Reserve Best in Shows, 35 Best in Specialty Shows, and ultimately this historic achievement of Best i

The size of this portrait is 12 x 16 inches, and there are two full figures in it. So some of the details are smaller than my sharpest pencil point! That makes it challenging to get the details of the features accurate. Working at that small size actually makes it easier to do large areas of skin though - like Octavia’s arms - where the artist has to make all the narrow pencil strokes look like a smooth color. And a smooth transition of color (the elbow). Her tattoos were fin

Octavia’s face finished. Have you wondered who this young woman is who was such an integral part of “Team Penny”? Octavia Stensen is Assistant to Andy Linton, Penny’s handler. Before I started on Octavia’s face I asked the Chans to tell me about her. (The portrait was to be a surprise so I couldn’t talk to Octavia.) They described her as a vibrant and amazing young woman. “She’s got good energy”, Greg said. I think that comes across in her face in this pic. Octavia traveled w

In a previous post you heard me wondering about the wisdom of choosing a paper color that is the exact color of Octavia's skin. Which is why I chose it. It helps me capture that creamy "peaches and cream" look of her fair skin. But would I be able to make Octavia stand out on paper the same color as Octavia? Her skin colors are very delicate. The highlights of Octavia's face are barely lighter than the paper color, and the shadowed areas that form her features are barely dark

Working on Octavia's hair. The size of portrait the Chans ordered is 12 x 16 inches. It has two full-body figures in it, so some of the details in it are quite small. Some smaller than a sharp pencil point. There is a lot of detail in this portrait. So the challenge of portraying fine detail accurately, that small, will continue. 🎨 Prismacolor pencil on “Honeysuckle” Canson Mi-Teintes paper, 12 x 16 inches. "Penny & Octavia", in progress Portrait of Octavia Stensen and Penn

Last week I shared the three portraits Greg and Theresa Chan commissioned of Westminster Best in Show winning Doberman, Penny, to be given as surprise gifts to members of “Team Penny”. We began working on the portrait for Octavia in January….before Penny won Westminster! (Westminster was to be the last show of her impressive career.) The creation of a portrait always starts with choosing the right photos to use for reference. 1 The Chans suggested this photo of Octavia with P

Mothers carry us....in so many ways. Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers. Dog and cat moms too!

So many people loved the in-progress pic I shared recently, I thought you’d enjoy seeing the finished portrait “The Kiss of Hearts”, of Marlaina and her beloved blue Doberman, Sky, which I created for her in 2019. Sky’s registered name was CH. Kettle Cove Lanikai Blue Sky. The theme of the litter she was from was "Hawaiian Islands". I wanted to capture the feeling of Sky and Marlaina on a tropical Hawaiian beach. This portrait was done on “Cream” Canson paper, with a waterco

Detail of a work-in-progress I shared in 2019…. a portrait of Marlaina B. and her beloved blue Doberman, Sky. Sky’s registered name was CH. Kettle Cove Lanikai Blue Sky. The theme of the litter was Hawaiian Islands. I wanted to capture the feeling of Sky and Marlaina on a tropical Hawaiian beach. (The reference photo was taken at a busy marina in San Diego, CA.) I chose this “Cream” Canson paper because it is the color of sunlight. The mediums I’m using - watercolor and colo

In my mid-20’s I moved to an area far from where I grew up. I began writing letters to my parents, and we continued that for the next 15 years. Many of my letters were decorated with my own artwork. After my dad passed away two years ago, my mom found a box of my old letters they had saved. This was one of them, written in the Fall of 1987. Hand-painted with watercolors, with metallic gold ink on the lettering. Seeing that hand-painted letter from so long ago inspired me to m

1 Raven's forehead and around the eye-socket on the left side are finished. I’ve put in Raven’s center white stripe down his nose as a...

Yesterday I had a debate on my Facebook page with Michael Joseph about whether copying a reference photo but changing things...

Prismacolor pencil on “Light Blue” Canson paper. In this piece I used the paper color as the primary color for the artwork. The sky is...

When you read Alicia’s words about Wishes you’ll understand why this quiet, watchful pose was so deeply meaningful: “Dobermans are...

I’m very happy with how Wishes’ ear turned out. 1 If you've been following my “swatches map” you will recognize the swatches-map for...

Last Sunday I shared this as a “Happy Mother’s Day” greeting on social media. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the image on the full sheet of...

August 20 The last portrait I shared (a dog in a forest scene) was very complex. This one will be straightforward: a double Head Study...

The portrait of Cheri and Larry is finally finished. A special portrait for a special friend who has played an important part in my...

A finished portrait is not always perfect. It’s not unusual for a client to ask that something about a portrait be fixed. Usually just a...

It was important to Cheri to have this shirt-patch included on Larry’s shirt. When you read Cheri’s words you’ll understand why. From...