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Sunday, March 30, 2008

Illustration friday: Homage

An homage to an old friend.

This was a commission that I completed for someone as a christmas gift for her father. She wanted a portrait of their dog, Cocoa who had passed away. I used gouache on this acrylic paper I found which had a linen finish, and held up to the paint better than the bristol I had been previously using. I was given a few photos to work from, and I asked for a list of his traits. She said he liked the snow and liked riding in cars, so I incorporated that into it. (The snowy background is a little hard to see in the scan.) Trying to get some kind of likeness was difficult, especially since I couldn't see his eyes in any of the pics. When I gave it to her she said she loved it, and said I got the eyes perfect. Whew! He ended up younger than the pic, but she liked that since the painting was about remembering the good times when he was still alive.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

what a lovely story and painting, angela!! really nice work..how 'bout this rain? go cubbies!

a : )

Angela Matteson said...

Thanks Andi!
Yeah, time to pull out the hip waders. :P
I'm just glad that it's not ice and snow.

Catalina Alvarez said...

Adorable!
I love the colors.
Cata

Roberta said...

Wonderfully done!
It looks just like my dog Cinder!

Nina Seven N7 said...

angela - this is so awesome! if you ask me, you did an amazing job!

Unknown said...

Really beautiful, Angela!
You have an amazing range. I really like this style.

Angela Matteson said...

Thanks everyone!

Anonymous said...

You DO have an amazing range. What a gorgeous painting of a precious lil guy. Such a nice thing to be able to do for someone. I'm sure she will cherish this forever.

lil kim said...

wow! great work!

Bobo said...

Fabulous. Love how you do his hair.

Alicia Padrón said...

You did a wonderful job on this! Just beautiful! I'm sure Cocoa's owner is very happy with it. Now they can remember him like this.. beautiful!

Pickledog said...

So sweet! I love his little bitey teeth.

Michelle Lana said...

this is sweet indeed and lovely work!

imwithsully said...

The sweetest story. Love this homage piece!

Amy Zaleski said...

You've really captured the dog's personality here. Great work, Angela. These are such good gifts for people. :-)

RyanLoghry said...

Wow, terrific rendering on the fur. Great job.