I have a fair few Jolly Splashes commissions this year which has delighted me. The next two I have on my painting table….. Can’t use an easel for watercolours as it runs, are a triple French bulldog portrait and a Working Cocker Spaniel dog Portrait. I have discovered with the latter how much I love a particular brush. It’s called a mop brush and you can get both fine lines and thick strikes with it. They are an absolute delight to use and I am adding to my collection tomorrow!
Dog Portrait, Three French Bulldogs
So the first up are three French bulldogs. It is my second portrait for my client in this style, they previously had a horse portrait. The triple frenchie portrait measures 16×10 inches. My client had no specific request for colours, but it is a gift for her Mum and her favourite colour is green so I tried to add a touch in. It will be framed in a simple black frame. I normallu choose either a white or black frame for these style pet portraits as I think they keep the contemporary look. They will look fabulous when framed and I can’t wait to see. The frame is due in this week and there will be a photograph uploaded to this blog once they have been framed.
Working Cocker Spaniel, Dog Portrait
My second Jolly Splashes portrait is of a grogeous peach Working Cocker Spaniel called Digby. I am particularly partial to the breed being as my best friend has one George, and well he is really half mine hahaha, as mine are half hers, though I think I have the best end of the deal as my two are little rascals. I absolutely adore them, but being terriers they are noisy pickles!
Anyway back to Digby. The colours I used are my two absolute favourites, magenta and purples, with some reds and orange and yellow, with a some blue too. I love thes colours together, and I have to be careful to make sure I don’t paint every Jolly Splashes pet portrait with this combination. I have magenta in 95% of portraits I think. Perhaps it is becoming a trade mark of mine!
I am really pleased with how he has turned out. Digby will be going in the white frame choice, exactly the same style except white not black. Again as with the Frenchies I will upload a photo once framed. The little white patch on his chest is where his tag was, but after confirmation from my client I am going to be taking it out and just putting his white chest fur in his place.
It have discovered recently on my watercolour ventures how much I love the mop brush. They are a delight to paint with and you can create so many different line strokes with them. I have avoided them in the past as they are made solely out of squirrel fur, but these are totally synthetic. I am over the moon I have found them. They are made by Jackson’s Art and are called Raven Brushes.
View more of my Jolly Splashes Pet Portraits in their dedicated gallery