English setter custom Dog Portrait English Setter oil painting , painting by Portraits by NC
This painting of an English Setter brought back some childhood memories. When I was in a teenager our family had an Enlgish Setter. Her name was Senta and we found her wondering the streets with a collar that was cutting into her neck. Senta lived with us for many years and she even had 12 puppies right under my bed! I woke up at night hearing strange noises coming from under my bed and lo and behold there was Senta giving birth to her puppies. It was an amazing experience and those puppies were so darn cute.
My client wanted to keep the grass backdrop but have it less detailed. I also thought that since the dog is so light having a lighter background might look friendlier.
I had a hard time telling what the eyes looked like and added highlights to make them pop more. The fur was build up by building up the fur texture. I believe in the ying and yang theory. If you have texture than you need to have the opposite of smooth areas. Lights vs darks, details vs blurred, etc. .
I decided to leave the bandana loosely painted, so that the entire focus remains on the dog's face. Painting is a series of judgment calls and the ultimate goal is always to keep the focus on the face.
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