My Dog, Sparky (Ellis)

by Godfrey J. Ellis – Sep 2019 and reworked Nov 2019 acrylic 12×16

This Christmas present for my granddaughter was one of the first true portraits I had painted in more than 30 years. As a result, it was frustrating to paint — I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. Then, suddenly, her nose seemed to appear on the canvas like magic. It was amazing. I was instantly hooked on portrait painting. I got seriously derailed when I tried to add a mouth from a different photo, making her look 18 years old, not 14. I finally painted out the mouth and put in the correct one, which dropped her age and saved the painting. Adding details like her bracelet and ring made this portrait unique for a unique and beautiful girl.

And I had no idea how to paint a dog. I just experimented until it bore a resemblance to her beloved pet. Then I added fur. If you are wondering about the dog’s eyes — yes, he has double cataracts. He is too old to survive an eye operation that would be extremely expensive. He can see enough to waddle around the house. He is a sweetie, as I hope I captured.

Here she is holding her dog and her Christmas painting.

I did a lot of experimenting with this painting, trying to figure out how to do it. Below are various stages in its development: