I Double-Dog Dare Ya!

Anyone who has seen "The Christmas Story" knows about the Double-Dog Dare!  Well, being asked to do a double-dog portrait two weeks before Christmas felt like that.

Gremlin & Violet, pastel, 18x24"©Kim Werfel



This portrait really was delightful....these two border collie/Australian Shepherd mixes were adopted from an animal shelter...at different times, but look like they could have been from the same litter.  Their happy expressions tell us how loved and well-cared for they are.

I'll walk you through some of the steps I took creating them....first was the selection of a grey Wallis paper, 18x24".   Then I sketched in the large shapes and values with black pastel and an alcohol wash.

I started to experiment with color to liven up the black dogs....

 

 

 

 

Used a variety of warm colors that were in the leaves of the photograph for the background....

 

 

Finished with more attention to the back-lighting and details in the eyes, nose and expression.

They plan to frame them and have them on the wall Christmas morning!  So exciting to be part of a family's Christmas surprise present!

Hoping you all have a lovely, happy and memorable Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year!

Kim