Swish got my attention immediately. The name fits this fella. The wispy hairs of his ears seem to have their own sound "swisshhhh" as he excitedly runs to his boy. I'm sure that's not how the name came about but that's how I imagined this pup in my head.
This portrait was an "In Memory Of" commission. A repeat customer, Sarah (see her Otto Bear portrait), reached out to me to do her mother's dog in ink. She sent me a lovely write up to learn more about this 20lb feisty mini Australian Shepard. If you were to ask him though he was a as tough as a Rottweiler. Swish wasn't so tough though, he was the professional cuddler and enjoyed taking over the beds of his family members.
The reference photo choices were a bit rough. Old phone or camera, pretty grainy, color distortions, etc. However, I like a challenge! I wanted to see his ears up so I got two reference pictures.
The Grandson and Swish.
I did some editing on my laptop trying to get the crop and composition right and to lighten up the shadows to find values.
I was partial to the image with the little boy. I would get emotional about it. There is something about the soft gaze and the loyal stance to the Grandson. The Grandson's fingers are slightly looped into the dog's Halloween costume keeping him there even though he didn't need to. There is an actual energy with this photo that is full of love.
The sketch was pretty quick. I made the decision to sketch in the arm of the Grandson even though I was unsure I would keep it in the composition at the start of the piece.
The stippling start.
The great thing about ink is that it can travel. I got to take a trip to Fort Worth, TX! Tim and I went to visit our friends Melissa and Preston. We got the full Texas experience! BBQ, tacos, longhorns, rodeo, country music, and cowboy boots of course.
Murals galore and Billy Bob's Rodeo-all longhorns, all the time!
Myself and Melissa in downtown Fort Worth. Torchy's Tacos too!
Stippling on the airplane.
Progress.
Another nice perk to working with ink is that I can stipple on my coach or recliner. Though, stippling on over sized furniture also means I get a furry cuddle buddy. Ruby always cuddles up when I work.
Spring came and went quickly this year. We picked all of our tulips then ripped out the flower beds for some renovation this summer. I loved having the extra natural light upstairs and the pretty petals for my eyes to take a break on. I ended up stippling the arm to keep the composition's flow.
I added his wispy hairs on his ears last. In the photo itself it is hard to distinguish them but based on other reference photos I couldn't not add them. They are part of what makes him Swish.
"Swish" 11x14 Original Ink Stippling Portrait
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Sarah texted me as after she gifted the portrait. Her mother said I truly captured his essence. I made her parent's very happy with something so special. They have since adopted another dog into their family.
The thing about dogs is that we honor them by continuing to love other dogs when they are gone. Your heart is another form of home for them always.
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