Matilde "Man's Best Friend" was given a cool underlayer that plays through surface brush stokes giving the painting a warm/cool interplay.  In this painting, I left the light areas light as I didn't need to bounce off a dark under layer.  The Pug was photographed on a flowery print blanket.  I changed her surroundings to incorporate a more elegant environment.  This painting was totally inspirational, designed as I went, rather than preplanned.  Approaching a painting in this manner can be exciting but could create more problems than successes for the beginning and intermediate painter.

 This painting was a commission which required pre-approved compositional diagrams and designing.  I put the Springer Spanie in her favorite environment, a cabin in Northern California and to symbolize her other favorite environment, the Pacific Ocean, seen in the upper left hand corner of the painting. Her owners were delighted with the idea. In creating the design, I used the cabin as a cementing value to incorporate the value of the Spaniel's back into the upper part of the painting creating a bond between the dog and the distant areas and the Calla Lilies as a visual foxing (of the eye) to simulate diminishing perspective in a very short distance.  The diagonals are held in check by the strong horizontal lines of the cabin creating a visual 'z' movement through the painting.  Prints of the Spaniel and the Pug are available for study reference.

To the left are the compositional studies I did (for myself and for my client).  I liked the one with the Spaniel on the right side of the painting and the cabin further back but it posed a problem in the lower left quardrant and put the cabin in competition with the dog.  The one my client selected (and the one I liked the best) gives the dog complete dominance in the painting (as does the top thumbnail) ... and ... after all, it is all about her! The thumbnail got the "thumbs up" because it has more of a "painting" feel to it and includes the environments that were important to her owners  

I inquired about her sad look and did they want me to create a happier expression.  They came back with this, "Oh no, that's long sorrowful look is how she manipulates us to get her way!"