This is smilin’ Chuy. Like most little dogs, he makes up for a lack of physical stature by means of a massive personality. I love this portrait! Let me tell you why. First off, you can’t look at Smilin’ Chuy without smiling back. I think I captured his happy nature with this portrait. Secondly, in terms of technique, I love the sense of depth I created by carefully placing dark areas next to lighter areas. …
It’s almost 2023 and I’m still alive. Not that I was in any serious danger of dying in 2022, but at sixty years, one does start to count each stair step when coming down for one’s Lucky Charms®. Maybe it’s time to install a handrail. As a rule, I don’t much care for those “Year In Retrospect” stories that get written this time of year. I’m mostly a Looking Forward kind of fellow, except when …
This is Hobee the Basset Hound. Not much to say about this happy fella, except I really like the coloring. Specifically, the way the bright blue background sets off the orangey tone of his head. I added electric orange tones on his cheeks that create a nice glowing effect, making the shadows more interesting. Since I use photos as references, it’s tempting to simply copy whatever I see there. But that’s not how I work. …
Time is different when you’re retired. It slows down. But you know what doesn’t slow down? Snowstorms.
Our trip to Glacier National Park, in which I struggle under the weight of two sleeping dogs and almost succumb to a killer chipmunk.
A very challenging portrait that took a long time to get right.
