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Watercolor Wednesday: Blissful

Posted on by Laura Kate

I asked my yoga instructor for a photograph of her two little dogs, with the intention of giving her a painting for Christmas. Well, Christmas came and went, and I didn’t get around to the work until January.

Here is an adorable photo of Marianne and Sissy (breed is Havanese)

I know these dogs well. They are present at yoga session and form a 2-dog greeting party with the arrival of each student. My challenge will be to render their personalities as vividly as possible.

No good portrait will happen without a good sketch. In this one, I taped two pieces of paper together so that I could make the sketch on 1:1 ratio with the painting. This allows me to transfer key contour lines and any gestural lines to the watercolor paper by tracing. 

Next, I did a quick color study and selected pigments. Marianne will be painted with a mix of Prussian blue and transparent orange. Sissy will be painted with a blend of Payne’s gray and transparent orange.

White areas masked out and underpainting complete:

Second wash complete

Third wash finished and most details painted in. Time to remove the masking fluid and the little bits of masking tape.

Final touches to finish it.

I’m pretty satisfied with this one. There were challenges, to be sure. But I achieved the bit of sparkle and personality I was seeking. You can probably guess that Marianne is the extrovert and Sissy not so much. I think of them as yang and yin. 

Blissful Dogs finishes out at 12 by 15. It is the largest watercolor painting I have finished to date and will easily fill a 16 x 20 frame after matting.

Done on cold-press Fabrico Artistico paper with a palette of Winsor yellow, yellow ochre, transparent orange, burnt sienna, quinacridone red, Prussian blue and Payne’s gray. Only tiny amounts of white gouache were needed.

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Author:

One of six children, I was raised by a busy mom, who instilled in me a love of fabric. Though I learned to sew and knit at a young age, it was the arrival of my first grandchild that pushed me into action. A long-time knitter, I am now ready to explore all things fiber.

20 thoughts on “Watercolor Wednesday: Blissful”

  2. Adorable! And I love that you shared your process for getting from photo to (beautifullly) finished painting! Your instructor is fortunate to have you as a student! 🙂

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  3. Really nice work. I always enjoy seeing a person’s steps in the painting process. These pups in paint are as cute in photo – and I bet in person they are cuter!

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