I'm digitally painting dog portrait demos at a spring craft fair at a local high school.
Sitting on the outer side edge of my booth, I'm working on a quick portrait of Winslow, our Bernese Mountain Dog. Our booth location is next to a corridor with people flowing from one gym to another.
Everyone has to pass by my booth first. They can't miss seeing the many portrait samples, especially the huge fifty-four inch square portrait of Boris high above, next to the basketball backboard (it's a high school gym after all).
Most importantly, they also can't miss me busily painting at my pen display. Many of them stop to watch over my shoulder. Others step around to the front where I have a second monitor set to mirror my pen display. This particular location and arrangement is great for grabbing people's attention as I digitally paint my dog.
The sun is at my back and I feel the warm glow of an early spring day. The Missus has stepped away for a break.
Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder and an unknown woman's voice breathes in my ear.
"You're amazing!"
I freeze.
A moment passes.
And just like that, the woman is gone.
Caught off guard, I sit, hand frozen in mid stroke. Never in a million years did I expect that.
Then I start laughing.
The Missus returns.
"What's so funny?"
"You're not going to believe this…"
I tell her what happened.
The Missus looks at me like a beauty pageant judge about to deliver bad news.
"You're right. I don't believe it."
My shoulders sag. I give her the sad face.
The Missus smiles, pats me on the shoulder.
"But she's right."
Now, about that painting…
Here's the painting I was working on at the time. I love my painting software, Rebelle Pro 8, because it lets me control the amount of digital paint on my digital brush. This allows me to paint ultra realistic, three-dimensional strokes that look marvelously like traditional oil paints! You can see the strokes clearly in the enlarged image at the top of this post, but also in the image below.
The digital richness of this software makes me want to whisper two words in Rebelle's ear.
"You're amazing!"
WinSnow (digital oils, 16x20)
About the Author
Topdog is Steve Merryman, a retired graphic designer, illustrator, and curmudgeon-in-training. Steve can often be found working on a portrait commission or some other artwork. Steve fills his days by painting, writing, shootin' guns, cuttin' trees, hiking with his dogs, and shaking his head at world events, all while searching for the perfect cheeseburger. He is occasionally without pants.