Introducing Wyatt

In Fall of 2014 we decided that our 2 year old Springer Spaniel, Ruby, would benefit from having a friend. We knew we wanted another English Springer Spaniel for sure, the debate was to rescue or buy from a breeder. With Ruby's history we decided to get a pup from a breeder. We contacted Springville Springers, in Ontario, Canada. We made arrangements to go meet the parents of our pup and place a deposit. We found our Springville Wild Wyatt; a black and white male field type English Springer Spaniel. We made arrangements to bring him over the border and brought him home in January of 2015.

    

Wyatt is my barking alarm clock who is always eager for breakfast. He likes to stand between my legs and the kitchen counters and has done so since he was a baby. He likes to shred paper goods and dig holes outside in the yard. He is eager to please. Wyatt likes to cuddle after 7pm. He makes the "derpiest" of faces and makes me laugh all the time. He loves to chase assorted toys, cotton wood puffs on the wind, Ruby, and butterflies.

Ruby became nurturing, shared her toys, and eventually let him sleep near her in the month after bringing him home. He is now taller than her and soon will be heavier. This is typical of field Springers. Ruby is a mix between the show and field variety. They are buddies and I can't even explain the love I have for them.

 

When ruby was about 7 months old I did a portrait of her for our home. Puppies rarely stop moving except for when they are sleeping. This is when the are angelic! So I snapped a snoozing picture and used it as reference for the oil pastel portrait. 

To see Ruby's portrait, click the link:

http://wildatheartillustration.blogspot.com/2013/10/introducing-ruby.html

This is the picture I used for reference of Wyatt:

Normally, a black dog is a tricky subject. Lucky for me, Wyatt's coat is shiny and I had a good picture for reference. I started with a line drawing on an 11x14 inch mixed media paper. 

(This is the half way point.)

I used a variety of colors for all shading. For black I typically use blues and purples. I clean up edges and lines with colored pencil. I have to say the yellow background was a nice change for me. The shadwos are once again a combination of blues, purples, and browns, but there is even some green and maroon in there!

"Wyatt" The finished piece. 

Both of my furbaby portraits are on the wall now. They are one of the first things you see when you walk through the door besides the models themselves who rush to greet you.

My handsome goofball in more recent photos. 

Thank you for stopping in. Stay tuned for future works.