Lilly, 051817 S 12x12

UPDATE:  Lilly has been ADOPTED!

Lilly, a cattle dog/pit bull mix, is another painting in my Homeless Shelter Dogs series featuring dogs up for adoption at the local Brown County Humane Society.  Everyone recognizes Lilly by her "one ear up" that makes her absolutely adorable and unique!

Lilly's features are particularly delicate with lots of light golds and pinks.  So the darks were minimal from the get-go.  Just a little black around her eyes, nose, mouth, and ear shadow.   

I mixed a wide variety of values of golds and pinks and oranges for her fur.  I took these photos while working at night so the color is a bit wonky.

I mixed up various shades and values of violet, the complementary color to yellow and gold for shadow areas.  Yellow and violet work well together to mix a wide range of hues and values that include the ethereal gray neutrals that lean either to gold or purple.  I used white with a touch of the violets for her white muzzle.

I mixed up more violets for the background color to contrast and pop against the predominant golds of her fur.  At times, I may turn the panel on it's side or upside down to be able to more easily manipulate the paint the way I want it to go.  I was able to paint the negative space next to her left side by turning the panel sideways to slide the palette knife along the edge of her face.

Her eyes are very wistful and I had to get them just right to capture her expression.  Final details like her whiskers and muzzle fur are added last.  Here is the finished painting:

"Lilly, cattle dog/pit bull mix", homeless shelter dog, oil, 12" x 12", Code #051817S 12x12, c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh. Lilly has been ADOPTED!

Thanks for reading about the homeless shelter dogs.  Please contact the Brown County Humane Society if you would like to adopt any of the dogs featured in my paintings or visit your local shelter to find that special new member for your family.  

Luckily, I just learned that several dogs featured in my paintings have been adopted so I will keep the blogs updated as I receive new information.   

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene

Thunder, 051617 S 12x12

Update:  Thunder has been ADOPTED!

Thunder is a homeless, catahoula leopard dog looking for his forever family at the Brown County Humane Society in Nashville, Indiana.  This painting is part of a series of portraits of homeless dogs available for adoption.  They have so much expression on their hopeful, sometimes sad, faces!

I start with a drawing on a pre-tinted panel and then mix up a black with Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Medium and block in the dark values.

I mix lighter values adding more red and yellow and a touch of white to paint in the brindle markings.  I use a hue with a bit more blue for his nose and shadow in the white areas on his neck.

I add the light pink to his muzzle using a mix of Primary Red-Magenta and Titanium White.

For the white on his muzzle and the stripe on his face, I use Titanium White with a tiny bit of yellow and red to make a warm white hue. 

Finally, I paint in his beautiful, sleepy eyes using Cadmium Yellow Light, a tad of Cadmium Red Medium all mixed with a touch of Ultra Blue.  A speck of white in the corners of his eyes is the finishing touch to get his expressive look.  For the background, I use the Ultra Blue and Cadmium Red mix, heavier on the blue that helps unify the entire painting

"Thunder, Catahoula Leopard Dog", homeless dog series, oil on panel, 12" x 12", Code #051617 S 12x12, c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh.

You can adopt Thunder from the Brown County Humane Society in Nashville, Indiana.  Plan to attend the Dawg Gone Walk and Fiesta on Sunday, May 21, 2017.  
 
Update:  Thunder has been ADOPTED!

Thanks so much for following along!

Happy Trails!

Cheers,

Charlene

Simon, Black Lab, 051217 S 12x12

Update:  Simon has been ADOPTED!

This painting of Simon, is part of a series of paintings of homeless shelter dogs and is available for adoption at the Brown County Humane Society, Nashville, Indiana.  Shelters often report that black dogs languish, overlooked and unadopted.  I am hoping this painting shows some of the personality and uniqueness of a "plain black dog".   Yes, I am guilty  of using that phrase once when someone brought me a black dog.  My first comment was, "She's rather plain."  But I kept her anyway and loved her for 13-14 years.  I have had many plain, black dogs ever since, over the years.  I hope that people will take a look at the dog's personality and joie de vivre and give them a chance.  I think Simon is the perfect ambassador for the job.

Here's my set up ready to start painting.  I have already drawn Simon on a pre-tinted panel.

 I start with all that black fur in the shadow areas.  I use the palette knife to "carve" out the fur and give it texture.

A lighter value is mixed with Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red and/or Primary Red-Magenta, with Titanium White and used for highlights on the black fur.

I mixed up a hue with more red in it to shift it to violet.  I add the nose and tongue.  For the tongue, I used three values of the Primary Red-Magenta, a rather transparent color, mixed up using Titanium White.

For the eyes, I mixed a golden brown using Cadmium Yellow Light with a touch of violet.  I also used a golden brown with a touch more red in it and mixed a black pupil.  The highlight to his soft eyes used a very light violet mixed with Cerulean Blue and Magenta.

 

I added the background using the golden and violet colors that I had used on Simon's fur and eyes only with more white added.  I continued fine tuning the details in his fur and shadows.

Here's the final painting:

"Simon, Black Labrador", homeless shelter dog, oil on panel, 12" x 12", Code #051217 S 12x12, c. 2017 by Charlene Marsh.

If you can give Simon a good home he is currently available for adoption at the Brown County Humane Society.  Update:  Simon has been ADOPTED!

Thanks so much!

Cheers,

Charlene 

P.S. I love to hear from you so please send me an email or leave a comment or even use the old fashioned telephone!  I still have a landline with great reception.