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.

Here are the colors I will use:

1. 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.