Chrissy & Missy painting

I just finished one of the most challenging paintings to date - a commissioned work of two pug dogs named Chrissy and Missy! It was a bit intimidating yes, but remembering all the tips and techniques thus far, I put them to the test in this painting, built on it with values and layers, gave it a real painterly kind of look and it actually came out alot nicer than I expected, especially the colors. I realize commission work is going to be a bit outside the guidelines one would normally work with when doing a painting, e.g., using an odd number of elements, using elements in different sizes, using one element to focus on and so on. I didn't wrestle with this, however, and just approached it with the client's request in mind, who was actually a friend of mine.

This probably took me about 3 days to complete, putting in around 2-4 hours a day or so. The hardest part was putting the detail in around their 'mugs' which had alot of folds and curves, but paying close attention to detail and just keeping things simple made all the difference here. I started with a value layer, then built on top of that with a few more to bring out the darks and lights. The background was the funnest I'd say, again keeping it simple with large brushstrokes and little detail so as not to compete with the main subjects.

Doing this piece definitely tested what I've learned so far regarding the underpainting, base layer, values and layering among other things. But I'm glad I got a chance to really test them to see what was possible. And now on to the next one that ties right in with the next lesson on using acrylics as watercolors, which will be a piece I'm doing as a gift for someone special. :)