Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Skookum, Remembered


Meet Skookum. A very handsome retriever who helped his guardian through the death of his wife.
He has such an expressive face that he was very easy to paint.
My only issue was the background was supposed to be "Cape Cod Blue." I tried, coming up with an almost periwinkle. Then, I asked the person who commissioned the painting (it's a surprise for her father-in-law). Neither she nor her husband could decide. I took a sample that they agreed was close. It was almost a cobalt blue, which I then added to the periwinkle.
Skookum's handsome face faded in the cobalt blue. Frustrated, I put it away, adding a status line to my facebook account that I'd be finished if I could just come up with "Cape Cod Blue." One of my Facebook buddies sent me this link, which I then used to finish the painting. The shade is much more calming than the cobalt and balances the oranges and reds very nicely.

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