Jack dog

Original photo of Jack

Painting of Jack the Labrador Retriever

Final painting of Jack

This A2 piece of work was completed during lockdown, which has given me time to reflect and comprehend my work, and how I can move further with it. Portrayed by my labrador Jack, this oil painting took two weeks to complete. Since recently starting to experiment with oils, I have found the consistency of the paint so much more smooth, frequent and reliable than acrylic purely based on it’s drying time. I then went over the tiny details such as the hair and nose wrinkles with ‘Derwent Academy coloured pencils’, which allowed for me to complete each individual hair with ease. I find that this tends to be better for me as I can create precise lines, rather than going over a single hair multiple times. As for the background, I am loving using bright and bold statement colours which really pull together the painting as a whole. I particularly enjoyed working on the nose as it is the focal point of the painting and also shows a fluctuating  kaleidoscopic range of colour within the nose frame.