06/18/2025
Art is a process and today I’d like to share a part of mine with you. As an example, I will be displaying my latest commisisoned project “The Fabulous Frankie”.
Step 1: Idea creation and collaboration - Frankie’s owner gave me pointers on what she was hoping to see = regality, purple as a focal color, a renaissance style outfit.
Step 2: Laying the Foundation - I always start with a basic background. However, I wait to add the fine details and finishing touches after the portrait portion is complete. This helps to tie the two together.
Step 3: Sketch - It helps to make a basic sketch or even just a painted outline of the main pieces of your picture whether they be a dog, flower, landscape, etc…
Step 4: Add layers and Sections- As you can see from the pictures taken of this piece it helps to paint in small sections to allow plenty of time to get the right detail needed without allowing paint to dry or be wasted.
TIP - Acrylic paint is water based so it tends to dry much faster than Oil paint. This is both helpful and challenging. If you have only a small window of time it can be useful to have fast drying paint because it allows you to add layers faster and does not cause too much color blending.
Step 5: Add Finishing touches or details - This is usually when I complete the difficult portions of a painting. In this case, those parts would include the eyes, crown, and feathered gold added in the background.
Once you find a process that works for you, making your own artwork can be easy and very enjoyable.
I hope you can get the chance to try out this process yourself if you may be new to painting.
Also, stay tuned for a new product drop featuring “The Fabulous Frankie”. Various prints will be available soon!
-Shout out to Abbey! Thank you for letting me paint your pup. 🤗
