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New Pet Portrait By Cy, “Lola”

April 29, 2012 by
Lola

Lola

Click on this picture, then click on the next version of it to enlarge!

Welcome  back to the Pet Portraits By Cy Blog.  I want to share with you my most recent Acrylic Pet Portrait,  “Lola”.  Donna and Mike from Longmont Colorado own this beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback. Lola is 3 years old and was acquired by Donna at the age of 10 months.  Lola is a very sweet dog and was very cooperative during our photo session, with the help of a few treats of course. I photographed Lola on a beautiful day in Niwot Colorado. She seemed very well trained and was very easy to work with.

The sun was bright on this day and the sky appeared as it does in the painting, with the front range mountains of Colorado in the background. Donna really liked this pose cause it shows Lola’s “smile” which apparently she does quite often, and she did seem like a very happy dog. Also I wanted to show off her beautifully colored coat and the sun struck her just right. Lola, according to Donna, is “really laid back  for a Lion hunter” (this breeds nickname) and I witnessed this firsthand.

The Rhodesian Ridgeback is peculiar to the South African region. The breed was created by the interbreeding of dogs which were brought to Africa by the Dutch and English settlers. Its ancestory includes, Mastiff, Great Dane, Greyhound, Terrier, and Bloodhound. The dog  has an unusual and highly distinctive ridge on her back because the hair along her spine grows forward instead of backward. Her strong suit is hunting, she was used to flush game including Birds, Boar and even Lions from the brush. She is very alert in the field and loves to roam open areas. She was also trained as a guard dog.

At home the Rhodesian Ridgeback  has a mellow disposition and a genuine fondness for children. She makes for a very loyal member of the family. I saw these qualities in Lola. She was very alert, but very gentle and I could tell that she was very loyal and loved her owner Donna very much, the reverse being true as well.  It was a pleasure to paint Lola and I am grateful to learn about this amazing breed.

Thank you for reading this New Pet Portrait Blog post. Feel free to share this with anyone who may be interested, and check back soon for another Post featuring some great looking animals  in my Pet Portraits In Charcoal series!   Have a great time with your animals!  Cy

Filed Under: Pet Portraits In Acrylic

Pet Portraits In Charcoal, “Sarge”

April 15, 2012 by
"Sarge" Pet Portraits In Charcoal
“Sarge” Pet Portraits In Charcoal

Click on this picture, then click on the next version of it to enlarge! 

Welcome back to my Pet Portraits In Charcoal Blog!  Please read on about Sarge,  his breed, and other Pet issues…WHEN YOU FINISH…If you would like your pet, or a friends pet portrayed in an 11 x 14 in. Charcoal Portrait sent to you, (or anyone you choose), anywhere in the world, and included in one of these blog posts for the world to see… Please visit this link and get the Info!   http://www.petportraitsbycy.com/?page_id=743

Sarge is a German Short Haired pointer. I drew this Portrait and donated it for a silent auction at an up coming Easter Seals fundraising event in Ephrata Washington. I will talk more about both this event and Sarges breed shortly, but first I am going to quote Sarges owner Maria as she shared some fun info about him for this blog post:

“This is Sarge he is a beautiful, sweet, affectionate and hyper German short haired pointer. He is an awesome hunting dog. He is 3 years old and is our pride and joy. And honestly our baby. This picture he is begging for an ice cube (his favorite treat) He came up and rested his cute little face on my knee. The look here says ( Oh please MaMa, please can I have a coobey ) That’s what we call them. He is very good at pleading with those adorable eyes.  Sarge is the best dog ever. I have never liked dogs ever. My husband said ( I am getting a hunting dog) and I tell you he has melted my heart. Such an affectionate breed, very social and eager to please. And Boy can they hunt!!   Sarge got his name from……….He was made, born and lived for the first 6 weeks in the back of a Army surplus store! Hence the name. It seemed to fit. Not a mean bone in this dogs body. And the most beautiful sight I have ever seen, I really do mean this, is when he gets to do what he was bred to do. HUNT! Brings me to tears to see the utter bliss on his face when he is running in the brush :)”

Well said Maria!  Sarge’s social attributes and friendly fun disposition was well stated above. Here are a few more facts about The German Short Haired Pointer:

He was bred in Germany as an “all Purpose” hunting dog. His origins include Old Spanish Pointer, English Foxhound and Bloodhound. He has a keen nose, excellent endurance, a water repellent coat and even webbed feet! This all adds up to an fine retriever in the water. He is able to hunt under any conditions, can be trained to point, as is considered one of the best and most versatile  of the sporting breeds.

As I mentioned earlier, this piece was donated for a silent auction at an Easter seals fundraiser. This event is taking place on saturday April 21st, 2012 in Ephrata Washington and is sponsored by the nice folks at the Ephrata Safeway.  The event also will include a spaghetti feed and some other fun activities, with all of the proceeds going to the great charitable organization of Easter Seals. For information on this event please contact the Ephrata Safeway, a very nice lady named Janice can answer any questions you may have. here is the  Safeway stores number: 509-754-4441

I was honored to be asked to help with this fine cause. I had a great time drawing, and learning about Sarge. He is a wonderful dog and as you can tell he is blessed with a  loving family.  Thank you Janice and  Maria, and best of luck to you, and to your families and of course to Sarge as well!

 Thank you for reading My Pet Portraits In Charcoal Blog. Please share this Blog Post with anyone who may be interested.  And if you are in the Ephrata/Wenatchee area please consider supporting the Easter Seals at Janice’s event.   A good day to all, and of course to all of your pets as well! Cy

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Pet Portraits In Charcoal, “Boku”

April 8, 2012 by
"Boku" Pet Portraits In Charcoal

"Boku" Pet Portraits In Charcoal

 Happy Easter everyone!  This is Boku, and He lived in Japan!  He was owned by Sachico who lives on Awaji Island.  This Island is located just south of the city of Kobe in the eastern part of the Seto Inland sea. It is connected to Kobe by the longest suspension bridge in the world.  Boku’s breed in Japan is called “Kiji Neko” I was commissioned to draw Boku by Sachico’s daughter.

I was Honored to be chosen to portray Boku in a Charcoal Portrait, and have it delivered all the way to Japan.  Sachico apparently loves the picture and even talks to it. I am very happy to give her some good memories and allow Boku to live on in this small way.  He was, as you will read below, a very special animal.

In her own words Sachicos daughter was gracious enough to share what her mom told her about this special kitty: 

“The name ” Boku ” is funny for the cat because it is a word to call a little boy when we don’t know the name of a little boy in Japan. I guess that cat ” Boku ” was a little boy to my mom. At first,he had a different name but we don’t remember what it was. My mom and ” Boku ” met long time ago.
One day someone brought a kitten to show her, it was in the box for the fishing food. My mom fell in love immediately when she saw it’s cute eyes and since he became her cat. I was glad it was a cat and wasn’t a dog. She doesn’t know how to take care the dog at all.

There were something very funny and I liked watching was ” Boku ” used play with grocery bag. He liked running in to it and it looked like bag was moving alone . He used do it over and over. It was just funny.I think he was nicest looking guy in the ” hood ” and he used come home injured so bad often. Tough world!!! Right?

 He used live with mom for 10 years and since he past a way it has been 14 years. I couldn’t believe it has been so long time! She never got any animal since then. It was too sad when she lost him.”

  

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Pet Portrait Painting, Step by Step: Abbey #6

April 6, 2012 by

Welcome  to the Sixth, and last installment of my Pet Portrait Painting, Step by Step: Abbey Blog post!  Today we will actually finish the Abbey Pet Portrait! Here is how it will unfold:  I will, in sequence, show one or more pictures at a time with a brief explanation of  what was happening at that time during the work. To enlarge these pictures just click on them to get the full view, then click them again and they will enlarge! Lets Do It!!!

Step By Step: Abbey #30
Step By Step: Abbey #30

 In picture #30 we are starting to develop Abbey’s chest area and any other areas that exist in the foreground. I have, at this point, laid in the first layers of paint. If you look closely I have rotated this picture so it shows the upright position. Actually the canvas is setting on its left side.  The reason for this is that I am continuing to paint  the chest area under and around the bottom edge of the canvas.

Step By Step: Abbey #31

Step By Step: Abbey #31

In picture #31 you can see the development of the bottom edge. As I mentioned at the beginning of this project, I always paint the edges of my paintings. It gives them a finished look and they can be hung as is without a frame.

Step By Step: Abbey #32

Step By Step: Abbey #32

 

Step By Step: Abbey #33

Step By Step: Abbey #33

Pictures #32 and #33 show the next two stages of Abbey’s chest development. As you can see I have added color and detail as this area has progressed. It was important for me to get her white spot just right, so a fair amount of time was spent here.

Step By Step: Abbey #34

Step By Step: Abbey #34

Step By Step: Abbey #35

Step By Step: Abbey #35

 

In picture # 34 I have finished the chest area and have finally added the whiskers. Aside from the signing of the piece, the whiskers will always be the last thing that I paint. This is because they are forward of everything else and they need to be very clean and sharp looking. If I was not finished with the fur areas of the neck and snout and chest, and painted the whiskers, then I would have to work around them and it would not look clean and convincing. It goes back to our first rule;  Paint from the back to the front, painting the areas closest to the viewer last.  Picture #35 is a closeup of the finished whiskers.

Step By Step: Abbey #36

Step By Step: Abbey #36

We have reached our last picture! #36 shows the finished piece. I have made touch ups and I have signed it in the bottom right hand corner. What I will do now is just sit with it for a day and watch it. If I see anything that needs attention I will touch it up. Throughout the execution of the Portrait I have been pretty methodical about finishing one area before going to the next, so there usually is not alot of reworking or touching up to do. You still need to watch a finished piece, before you deliver it though, just to be sure.

All of the work you saw and read about today took me approximately 6 hours to complete. The whole Portrait from start to finish took approximately 38 hours to complete.  Thank you for reading my Blog here on Pet Portraits By Cy. I hope you have enjoyed this “Pet Portrait Painting, Step by Step: Abbey” series. If you know some art lovers or other painters out there who may find this interesting or educational, feel free to share this. Also I will be happy to answer any questions you may have throughout this series of  Blog posts,  You can Email me from my website,  or click the “leave a comment” link here in this Blog post, or you can comment on my Pet Portraits By Cy Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/petportraitsbycy  Have a great day everyone! Cy

Filed Under: Uncategorized