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"I am mesmerized by the pet paintings you have done. How did you ever figure out how to paint their souls?" Deborah C.

Leo - Painting Demonstration - A Work in Progress - STAGES


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18x14 inches / oil on gallery wrapped canvas
commissioned portrait

Work in Progress  Leo is absolutely gorgeous, shown here posing at the shore. This is a progressive illustration of my extensive process which goes into the development of every painting. Thin glazes or layers of paint are gradually built up to create a luminous, hightly detailed portrait which captures every nuance of expression and character. (This same process is used for all my work, including still lifes which are far more elaborate in composition.) Click the image to enlarge and read the descriptions of each step. I especially enjoyed painting Leo's snout which had to be absolutely perfect, particularly with this lighting as it could easily become bent to one side if not precise. Of particular enjoyment were the curls of his fur, especially at the ends of his ears where the very subtle contrasts became quite realistic when viewing the physical painting.
10% of proceeds donated to Poodle Rescue of New England

Following is Leo's portrait completed.  This image is not that clear, unfortunately.  When I step away from a finished work I experience two things:  1) I'm exhausted; and 2) I exhibit absolutely no patience when it comes to photographing my painting.  Therefore, I only hand hold my camera without a tripod or supplemental lighting.  It is what it is...not the best approach, but there you have it!   Due to my lazy photography skills, only the buyers can experience the painting adequately.  Nevertheless, hope you like!

"LEO BY THE SEA"
SOLD


To commission a pet portrait email me at:

A percentage of every portrait is donated to a charity to help animals in need.
Visit my website:  www.jeanneillenye.com

5 comments:

Babz said...

I've just found this site via a Google alert, it is wonderful, there is so much good sense and compassion for animals shown here. I'll be a follower now.
Barbara http://clawsforever.blogspot.com/

JEANNE ILLENYE said...

Thank you SO much, Barbara! I adore animals, and as they need a "voice" in this world, I've begun my venture into painting this exciting new genre. With every oil portrait, nay every brushstroke, I attempt to communicate my compassion for them as well as offer some helpful information in my blog. Thank you for your lovely comments! Jeanne

JEANNE ILLENYE said...

Barbara, I just linked to your blog http://clawsforever.blogspot.com/ which I'd like to encourage people to visit. It's a "MUST READ". I've also added this link in my article about declawing alternatives so people can learn the facts. Thank you so much for sharing!! Jeanne

Gwen Bell said...

This is stunning! I love the way the water mimics the ripples in his fur. Thank you so much for including a photo progression of your process. Just GORGEOUS!

JEANNE ILLENYE said...

Thank you SO much, Gwen! This was almost like creating two paintings, a seascape and a portrait. Frequently I receive requests for formal lessons or some other brief tutorial from fellow artists, so thought I'd offer a sneak peek behind the scenes. What I particularly like about revealing my process is that clients can become acquainted with the magnitude of knowledge, skill and time required to create a painting of this calibre. Thank you so much, Gwen, for your lovely compliments! Jeanne


taste testing, meeting Teddy, sitting pretty

taste testing, meeting Teddy, sitting pretty

...and one of my beautiful boys

...and one of my beautiful boys

and here are my big boys

and here are my big boys

...and our other big boy

...and our other big boy

my constant companion in the garden whom we lost to cancer this past spring

my constant companion in the garden whom we lost to cancer this past spring