Misse and Luttine, Day 13

Today my goal was to put in the trees on the right and the little plant in the foreground. But first, I saw that the black dog's coat had dried unevenly. Some areas were very dark and shiny, but most of it had dried dull and too light. So I repainted all of the black dog's fur.

Then I worked on the sky, scumbling a warm yellowish color over the too-intense blue, and painting in the spindly trees. I also worked on the landscape surrounding those trees.

I repainted the rock at the lower left that the name "Misse" will be painted on, and I put that plant with yellow flowers in the foreground. Then I went to lunch.

After lunch, I worked on the white dog's front paws, but in the process, they got a little too big. I'll have to fix them next time.

I put the white highlights in both dogs' eyes.

I *think* it's almost done! In two weeks, I will paint their names. I've been saving that for last.

click the images for a larger view

Misse and Luttine, Day 12

Made it in today to paint for three hours... here's a picture of the painting Before I worked on it...

...and After three hours of work...

Maybe it's hard to tell the difference, but here's what I worked on today: I repainted the base of the columns, because the diagonal shadow wasn't dark enough; I repainted all of the ground; I repainted the trees to the right of the column; I repainted the black dog. It was fun painting her "feathers".

I still need to put in the few trees on the right, work on the white dog, finish their eyes, put in that funny little plant in the foreground, and paint their names on. Two or three more sessions and I'll be done.

Here's a close up of the painting:

(click on the pictures for a larger view.)

Back in two weeks!

Misse and Luttine, Day 11

Finally, FINALLY, I have made it back in to resume work on this copy! I hope it won't take too many more visits - maybe two, I'm guessing.

Today I worked on the distant landscape on the right and repainted the sky to tone it down a bit. I also repainted the black dog (Luttine). Just have her eye left to do.

Detail. Click the images for a larger view.

During the months that I wasn't copying (the last time I was here was October!) I did some research into the color palette that Oudry used. I wish I had done that before I started the painting. For some reason it hadn't even occurred to me. I read somewhere online that he told his students to use "all of the usual colors", which at the time were mainly iron oxides. I went out and bought terre verte (earth green) as well as raw sienna, which I didn't have. Today, I repainted some areas using those colors, and I wish I had had them all along.

I hope to come back in two weeks and finally put in those spindly trees in the distance to the right, as well as that strange weed in the middle foreground. The dogs' names, Misse and Luttine, are being saved until last. It shouldn't be much longer!