This 12 x 16" commission amalgamates a number of favourite photos of this cute little dog that races around with his right ear cocked. I started by painting a canvas board with sap green mixed with a bit of white and ochre to give me a mid-tone base to work from. When it was dry I sketched the outline and main features then painted the black and white parts of the eyes, nose and mouth to establish everything in its right place. I put down a base coat of orange, burnt sienna and white to create the shadows and highlights in Belushi's coat then got to work on the background. I started by roughly flicking in a variety of greens, browns, yellows and whites with an old bristly hog hair brush. This created texture and shadow areas en masse so I used a fine rigger to add small details of grass, stems and leaves. I sourced a few photos of meadows with daisies, decided on the light source and had fun painting the daisies. I have built up the coat with glazes of colour starting with yellows and browns and working around the spectrum finishing up with the whiskers, and Belushi is ready!
×