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GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:04 PM May 2020

Dog Help? I don't usually do realistic paintings, but a friend lost her

Last edited Thu May 7, 2020, 11:53 PM - Edit history (1)

mum last year, her dad last month, and her dog last week. So, how do I paint a black lab for her? The darks are hard for me, and I want her to have a sweet and happy expression.



The watercolors I have available for mixing darks:


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Dog Help? I don't usually do realistic paintings, but a friend lost her (Original Post) GreenPartyVoter May 2020 OP
Can you do charcole reduction SheltieLover May 2020 #1
I hadn't considered other media. Have gouache, Acrylic, charcoal, GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #4
Sorry to hear your mom isn't with you any more. SheltieLover May 2020 #11
Do you have a photo of the dog? CaliforniaPeggy May 2020 #2
Try a quick photo edit with contrast and stuff Tetrachloride May 2020 #5
Yep. Love Greyscale for value checks! GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #9
Not yet. Her Fb was a no go, but reached out quietly to friends and GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #6
Eyes are beautiful. MLAA May 2020 #3
I had English setters, so I remember happy puppy face. Cocked GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #7
One more thing MLAA May 2020 #8
That is darling! I am doing underwashes of blues and pale purples GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #10
Just a general comment on alternatives to "black"... GReedDiamond May 2020 #12
I'm trying different stains, but I want a lustrous velvety black to offset the blues and purples. GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #13
Gotcha, had not considered the lightfassness... GReedDiamond May 2020 #15
Lol GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #17
French Ultramarine + Burnt Sienna make a beautiful dark. fierywoman May 2020 #14
Thank you! I switched from French ultramarine to ultramarine deep, but the darks are still GreenPartyVoter May 2020 #16
You certainly have a way with the eyes! bif May 2020 #18

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
4. I hadn't considered other media. Have gouache, Acrylic, charcoal,
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:12 PM
May 2020

colored pencils, and soft and oil pastels. Have not used them much, since so much of my time is focused on getting to know watercolor better. This is yet another time I wish my mom was still here. We would have had so much fun doing projects!

SheltieLover

(57,073 posts)
11. Sorry to hear your mom isn't with you any more.
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:39 PM
May 2020

You could project an image, if you have one, onto a canvas, not sure about using watercolors over charcoal reduction, though. I used this technique once in a painting class some years ago. It is a process, for sure, and requires very expensive paints & brushes, but the outcome is stunningly life like. The glazing technique is said to be Rembrandt's technique & the light goes through the layers of glazes & bounces back at you.

CaliforniaPeggy

(149,310 posts)
2. Do you have a photo of the dog?
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:09 PM
May 2020

That might help.

Otherwise, I am not sure how you should proceed.

I know that your friend will be bowled over by your thoughtfulness.

Tetrachloride

(7,728 posts)
5. Try a quick photo edit with contrast and stuff
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:15 PM
May 2020

You can probably see what to fade out to more white and gray.

and look at photos of other labs.

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
6. Not yet. Her Fb was a no go, but reached out quietly to friends and
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:17 PM
May 2020

family. She was the show kind, not field, so I can find one similar. But it would be surprising if I could pull it off without a real pic, since it's been a while since I saw her. (She used to like to walk my kids home from the bus stop. LOL)

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
3. Eyes are beautiful.
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:11 PM
May 2020

The mouth can really impact if the doggie looks happy as can the eyes. So maybe a straight or slightly up mouth line 🙂

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
7. I had English setters, so I remember happy puppy face. Cocked
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:18 PM
May 2020

ears and a turned up slightly open mouth.

MLAA

(17,165 posts)
8. One more thing
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:19 PM
May 2020

Painting a black dog made me think of one of my paintings by a Chinese artist. I am amazed that adding a few streaks of blue to the women’s black hair made such a difference. The photo I took of the painting isn’t great but it might give you an idea. I’ve collected paintings for 35 years, and this sweet one that I paid something like $50 is one of my favorites. 🙂

https://imgur.com/bvA9Ezy

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
10. That is darling! I am doing underwashes of blues and pale purples
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:21 PM
May 2020

for highlights. Getting darks to read as dark but not dead is the tricky bit. Probably going to use stains, then maybe ultramarine and sodalite.

GReedDiamond

(5,299 posts)
12. Just a general comment on alternatives to "black"...
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:43 PM
May 2020

Way back in art school, one of my instructors said she never used black in any of her paintings.

She instead used Prussian Blue, mixed with other colors for shading etc.

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
13. I'm trying different stains, but I want a lustrous velvety black to offset the blues and purples.
Thu May 7, 2020, 11:46 PM
May 2020

I love Prussian blue but it’s not always lightfast. I have pthalo, though.

GreenPartyVoter

(72,377 posts)
16. Thank you! I switched from French ultramarine to ultramarine deep, but the darks are still
Sat May 9, 2020, 12:05 AM
May 2020

rich and granular. Works well with raw umber too.

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