Two beloved beings. Owen’s grandmother commissioned me to paint them.

I begin the portrait as I begin all portraits, by asking myself questions.

What do I want to communicate?

I want to communicate Owen’s joy and the charm in both boy and dog.
Owen’s clear beautiful skin and flaxen hair must be painted well in order to communicate his youth.

What is the painting about?

It’s about the faces!
It’s predominantly about Owen’s face, but Kimber’s adorable quizzical expression is important as well.

Should I alter anything in the reference photo?

The dog in the background is not needed. Photoshop Elements to the rescue!
I used PSE to reduce the size of the boy’s gloved hand, which looked too large due to lens distortion.
The pose: the boy’s arms around the dog makes a great pose, looks natural and affectionate, and does not need to be altered in the least.

ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH ON LEFT, ALTERED PHOTOGRAPH ON RIGHT

Here are the colors I will use:

I draw the figures and paint a faint wash of blue over the parts of the painting that are not bright.

2. I rough in the eyes, then begin to apply color all over the painting.

3. I change my mind about painting all over, and determine to paint the faces first. I want the most important part (the boy’s face) and the second most important part (the dog’s face) to be correct before putting a lot of time and effort into the rest of the painting. This probably goes against somebody’s rule, but I care not.

4. NOW it’s time to apply paint all over the painting.

5. It’s time to think about showing the painting to Owen’s grandmother. I hope she likes it.