"Max"

"Max"

         Throughout my past year of painting, the majority of my work has been based around landscapes or nature related things. As I came across ideas for my next painting, I wanted to change things up a little bit and paint something that actually meant something to me, being other than scenery. The first thing that came to mind was my dog, Max. Max has been with my family and I for around six years now, always bringing joy and smiles no matter what. I figured this special picture I captured of him smiling up at me was the perfect picture to paint to demonstrate his overall personality and to always have a piece of him with me in the years to come. The majority of my technique in this painting was to paint with a fan brush in whisp like strokes to give his face a more three-dimensional/realistic look of actual fur, rather than it being completely smooth and nonrealistic. My goal was to put a lot of emphasis on Max's nose by using a variety of different values of blacks and browns together, along with highlighted areas to give it a foreshortened look. Since this was a foreshortened painting, I also had to make sure to use proper proportions on his face to make sure it was lined up and equal on both sides. Lastly, I used balance in my painting by making the background a light blurred, simple color so it wouldn't take away from the centered subject, his face.