I really enjoyed doing tTUCKERhis painting of Tucker. The person who won the auction bid for the SPCA, Fredericksburg, wanted a painting of their family dog, Tucker. He is such a cute little guy. The photo I finally decided to use captured him perfectly with his sweet soft look, inquisitive eyes, beautifully tapered ears, and black and brown body.
You have to be careful with black because it has a tendency to go flat without mixing it with something to give it a lift. So, I used Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue to soften the Mars Black to give it volume, and highlighting with Payne’s gray and Titanium White. In painting the whites on the pup, I used Titanium White and a tad of Burnt Umber and Yellow Ochre. His eyes showed to be a little green, so I mixed Ultramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre and a little Burnt Umber and created a wash, then highlighting his black pupils with Titanium White and a hint of Mars black to soften the white.
Tucker’s bed appeared to be a gray/purple, so I made it more purple for the sake of the painting to offer a nice contrast to this pup. In any event, I totally enjoyed painting this little guy.