Working on Peanut

Here is little Peanut. I have been working on her for about two days now. I think she is starting to come together. I have to say the hardest part is definitely the neck area. I have just started blocking in that area so it has a ways to go. The muzzle and nose area are pretty close, I'm also fairly happy with the eye areas. Ears, forehead, and right side of the face still need a lot of work. I tend to work in acrylics like a watercolorist. Lots of water and layer upon layer. One advantage I have over the watercolor is the ability to "paint out" an area with gesso and start over. I found out that can really help cut down on the frustration level.

Peanut!

Here is the progress I'm making on "Peanut". This sketch is from another photo of mine. She was actually looking up at her owner, so I thought it might look cute to add the bird in the corner. I"ll post more as I progress.
I have signed up for an online class with Natalie Hamade. She does such beautiful faces! I'm still waiting on my supplies, but I'll post my progress. One might ask, Why dolls? I have always loved dolls, I would probably still be playing with my Barbie dolls if the other kids had not made fun of me! Well, I turned 50 this year and I promised myself that this would be my time. So, I'm gonna play with my dollies----just you wait and see!
By the way, my electrical cord for my sewing machine finally showed up! I'll be working on my flamingos again soon!

Still Waiting........

Still waiting for my electrical cord to arrive for my sewing machine. In the meantime, I have decided to work on some more pet portraits. Yesterday, we had some new neighbors pull in beside us here in the rv park. We went over and introduced ourselves and found they had a "new puppy". It was just soooo cute! Her name is "Peanut", she is just 12 weeks old, and she is a "chawiener". A "chawiener" is a cross between a chihuahua and a wiener dog. Here is picture I took of her. She is so sweet. I took several pictures and I took one of them and worked out the drawing for the painting today. I won't have time tomorrow to start the painting, but hopefully Friday I can put paint to canvas. The other nice thing that happened today was meeting a group of ladies that get together every Wednesday to paint. They watercolor, but told me I was welcome to join them. I think I'll take them up on it.

Picture of Pet Portrait

I was able to present this finished portrait of my Uncle's dogs to him last Wednesday. I'm pretty sure he liked what he saw. I'm very pleased with the way they turned out. The dog in the distance passed away a few years ago, so that is why the grass looks misty.

I so enjoy painting animals--of all kinds. My problem is finding photos (copyright free). I do try to take photos for myself, but I don't always have access to animals. I would love to paint some African wildlife or Rainforest wildlife, but I don't see traveling to those destinations anytime soon. I guess zoos are my only option at this point.

Right now I'm working on some "funky flamingos" to add to a tote I'm in the process of designing. I went to get out my sewing machine to do some free motion work on the flamingos and guess what? No power cord! I must have forgotten to pack it. I managed to find one available for purchase online so I have ordered it. Hopefully it will get here in a few days---I'm just dying to see what I can do! This will be my first attempt at "mixed media" I plan on adding some beads and embroidery work after the free motion work is done. I'll post some pics as things progress.