Frank and Brian requested an 11 x 14 inch portrait. I always work on larger paper, and trim at the end. Usually I offer clients the option of keeping it larger, at no extra cost. I sent this jpg to Frank and Brian, showing the options. I can leave it at the full size, showing the “raw” edges of the purple watercolor underpainting, or crop it to 11 x 14 (the bold rectangle) or slightly larger to include more of the blankets (thin rectangle). I also sent them jpgs showing how each of the versions would look cropped.
There’s also another decision I asked them to make. The blankets are still just the purple underpainting, with a few pencil strokes of dark purple next to Baxter's front legs. I was planning to add more pencil strokes to put more detail in the blankets, mostly dark purple to indicate the shadowed folds of blanket. But I recommended the blankets be left just as they are. The purple underpainting suggests the folds of the blanket but looks artistic and beautiful because of the way the watercolor spread in the wet-in-wet technique, with soft edges. It’s clear that those are blankets, and they look very soft. I don't want to change that by adding a bunch of spidery purple pencil strokes. I think the artwork is finished just as it is.
