Painting and Fabrication Process:
To appear real, each painting not only must be detailed and artistically rendered, but every feature (nose, muzzle, eyes, tongue, jowls, ears, chin, facial width) must be accurately sized, proportioned, and properly spaced. I make an extra effort to do this in the initial pencil sketch layout for each painting. From that point onward, it is a matter of style and subtle application of color, shadow and texture to bring out the dog's face and personality in the painting---always re-checking size and proportion of key features throughout the process. The final touch---cutting out the finished portrait in sillouette using a band saw and jig saw---enhances the realism by enabling the background of the portrait to be truly real wherever the portrait is placed.
Here are some random in-process shots:
Finished View
Finished Work
