Sunday, March 27, 2011

Lessons of a Basset Hound

Watercolor on 14" x 17" 140 lb. Fabriano Artistico Extra White Hot Press paper

When I first examined the photograph of Borrish, I was struck by the dignity of a hound who had obviously been comfortable in his own fur. Had he been a man, I am quite sure that Borrish would often have been found in a smoke-filled gentleman's club of the kind that used to exist in England. Dressed in his smoking jacket with pipe in hand, scotch and water at his side, he would have been greatly respected when discussing the day's news especially because of his extensive involvement in world affairs. He also would have been a family man, well-loved.

But Borrish wasn't that man. He was the first pet of my friend Barbara, who is a lover of animals, and close companion of Barbara's father, who has also since passed. Borrish was successful because he had loved and was loved in turn, and what more could anyone, man or beast, hope for, after all?

So when Barbara lent me her only photograph of Borrish to paint, I felt honored to have been entrusted with the photo, and wanted to do something more than the sketch she probably envisioned. I also saw it as an opportunity to attempt to stretch my skills. I determined that I would do a Portrait of a Basset Hound as though he were that honored and respected gentleman. I decided that I would do a watercolor on 14" x 17" paper, which was a larger size than I have ever used. (This may sound funny to watercolorists who have done many paintings on half-sheets and whole-sheets, but I have generally painted very small. I wasn't even sure that I could do a wash on such a large size!)

So I made this painting important, and Barbara was thankfully very patient as an inordinate amount of time passed while Borrish taught me my lessons.

As it turns out I learned less about technique than about attitude, which is far more valuable.

Lesson One. Do not become paralyzed by fear of the unknown. The first task was to draw Borrish, and this took some time. I found that although his personality was powerful, and practically human, his features were altogether alien. The proportions had to be just right. So I meticulously drew and succeeded. Then I put Borrish in the drawer because it was time to paint. And I didn't know if I could paint on that size with my little half-pans. I didn't even know if I could cover such a span of white with my masking fluid. There was a lot I didn't know. So all progress stopped. But then one day I decided to proceed. And once I managed to paint and mask the body successfully..

Lesson Two. Do not become paralyzed by fear of a job well-done. ..I had done it fairly well, and did not want to ruin my progress. All that work. The thought that I might destroy the picture and have to start over stopped all progress again. But little by little I managed to pick up the picture. And little by little I progressed. And I did not destroy it any time I painted. I only moved forward. The bottom line is this..

Lesson Three. You can do it. But let's say you cannot. You have to do it anyway so you may as well find out now than delay the inevitable. I could either do it now or later. If I do it later the procrastination will not be useful. So in any project I must face any fear of failure and do it now.

Now to be fair to myself, there were a few other things going on: Watercolors are hard to correct. I was concerned about the potential for interruptions. I do not believe that I would have had these kinds of concerns with an opaque medium like acrylics or oil. But I may be wrong, as this was an internal matter, not the fault of the medium. Also, I have no proper workspace for a project of this size. I used the dining room table. So I would have to wait until I felt that conditions were right.

I've been talking about creating a proper workspace for at least a year, and I am at the point where this must be done soon if I am going to progress. And it will be done soon. (Lesson Three).

For all of my effort and lessons hard-learned, I am proud of this piece, and so share with you the progression in a slideshow. (You can click on the slideshow to see it larger. Click to make it full-screen, then push play. Colors vary because some pictures were by camera, others with my cell phone.)



At the end, I did the foreground and background of this piece with no hesitation and no fear in only a few hours. When I found the background and foreground to be dull, I applied a glaze, a thin transparent gold wash, with confidence, and the result was immediate.

Borrish has taught me lessons posthumously as is only proper for such a fine dog. I am going to remember Borrish in every piece that I do, so that I might progress and be productive. Remembrance of Borrish was the purpose of this piece, after all.

38 comments:

  1. Great job....he looks like a wonderful dog..high five...!

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  2. I love, love, love his "soulful" eyes! All of your lessons are spot on. And I do feel the "apprehension" when using wc cause you can't go back and paint over like you can do with oil and acrylic. In wc if you've painted something too dark there goes your highlight. It takes advanced looking and planning. But you've done a great job!

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  3. He's beautiful with his droopy eyes, floppy ears, and glossy coat. I recognized every single stage of anxiety. Each step of the way, I'm afraid I'm going to ruin it. And, since I paint in my kitchen, I don't want to get everything out and messy unless I'm going to have serious time to work. Fortunately, my husband is very tolerant of the mess.

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  4. You have capture his expression well, you can rightly be proud of this wonderful painting.
    Thank you for going through all the steps of painting
    ...I am so fearful of doing wrong that I now 'can't' even try, but I used to paint
    watercolours and pastel paintings! I need your resolve to just get on and do it but fear is holding me back :-(

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  5. Well done! I've never painted that large either and wouldn't know where to start. I really, really like the eyes on this guy.

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  6. Congratulations, Dan. A huge effort that seems to have paid off, and not just by producing a great painting, but it seems you have conquered anxieties that most of us have when we attempt something out of our comfort zone. I laughed at some of your comments when it reminded me of my own attempts. I guess there was also the fear of overworking it too, but you nailed it!

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  7. Beautiful
    He's looking at me! hehe
    Congratulations, dan :)

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  8. Great post - and an absolutely fabulous adorable dog painting! I did one commission drawing/watercolor painting and decided that I felt a great sense of accomplishment, but it wasn't enough to make me want to undergo all of the angst again.

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  9. You've created a beautiful painting and I'm sure a great memory for your friend. Thanks for posting the slideshow -- very interesting and informative.

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  10. Thats a really lovely painting of Borrish, and I really like the colours you picked for the back ground, they are calming and soothing... almost that gentelman club colours (the brown leather chairs, the green on the pool tables and the walls that are full of fox hunting pictures)... Its a really sweet painting, and I think your firend will totally love it to bits, what a wonderful memory of a good old dear friend.

    Dan, I want to thank you for leaving a very nice comment in my blog, thank you so much : ) I cant tell you how much all the comments have helped me to get out of my painters block... Im almost there : )

    Again, lovely painting!!

    Mari

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  11. At first glance Borrish made me smile, as most of your work does. But then I recognized how perfectly you've captured not just his look, but his personality as well. Great job Dan! And I enjoyed your post as much as I did the painting, having shared all your hesitation and fears at various times in my struggles. Thanks for brightening my day! RIP Borrish.....

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  12. A fine job on Borrish. I like all your stages as well, however I am sure you will get to a point where you start another piece as big as this and you glide through with joy with no hint of fear, however battling through any moment of fear is a great lesson for any artist. Well done.

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  13. You hit all my stopping points before I've even started my next piece. Yours, it right on!

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  14. Dan, Wonderful painting. And when I first saw it I immediately recognized this gentleman as one who wears a smoking jacket (red silk, of course) and enjoys his scotch!

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  15. I've just read through the comments and everyone has said it all so well. What a huge accomplishment Dan! You maintained Borrish's dignity and well-loved gentleman status and your final result looks effortless.
    Your list of three lessons is honest and well thought out, it's meaningful. And frankly, refreshing. When an experienced and talented artist tells us that he also must learn these lessons and then shows us through example how he masters his technique, it is an outstretching of hand and spirit. You give the gift of yourself Dan as well as the gift of your art.
    I'm sure Barbara is tremendously pleased with how you've honored her and her memory of Borrish.
    And now, I must go dry my eyes. :-))

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  16. Oh- and the slide show ROCKS!

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  17. DAN! OMG, this is fabulous! This is certainly something to be proud of; you've reached a new milestone with this one! I've not done a large painting yet either. (That one that I told you about was more or less shelved until my mother could decide what she wanted!) And your lessons learned are things that I face every time and sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't! You never know until you try!

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  18. I'M IN LOVE!! I have a beagle/basset hound mix..and you got those eyes..and those feet!! What a soulful look!! Congrats!!!

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  19. Definitely an important painting--be proud. Create that workspace (you'll fill it and always need more).

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  20. What a wonderful painting you have created!! I love your step-by-step photos! (You're missing the step I would have had---throwing the brush across the room and screaming "I can't do this!!!) Seriosuly I love this piece. I hope you're fully aware of the giant step you've taken. Andf I hope your friend is dancing the happy feet dance! Way to go Dan!!!

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  21. You've captured the essence of a basset hound with the mournful eyes and floppy ears. I think you did a fantastic job, even if you were paralyzed by fear!

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  22. Lovely painting, and thanks for sharing your progress and thoughts! I must confess that I have problems understadning the size--- is it a full size paper? (I come from Sweden and have trouble relating to the "-thing)

    I often paint fairly big, half size or full size papers and it doesn´t scare me more than small pieces, so I can´t share any tips there.... However, I thought about two things I might share - 1) your fear of destroying a work in progress - what I do when I have an important painting going on is that I always make at least two versions - that way I may feel more free to experiment with the first one, which usually turn out the best anyway since I dare a little more.... 2) did you really cover all of that white in masking fluid? I find it much easier painting "around" the white areas, unless they are very small and many. masking fluid also leaves unneccessarily (?) sharp edges when going big sometimes.

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  23. Borrish taught the lessons well. i really like rule #3. This is an absolutely gorgeous painting. His personality shines off the page.

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  24. Thanks for sharing the lessons you learned...I agree with Lynn, #3 is spot on. I really enjoyed seeing the progression of the piece through the slide show. Borrish is my new hero. And you, as always, inspire me with your art and your writing. I love the way you relate your sketches and painting to life lessons. You always draw me in...no pun intended. :)

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  25. Well Dan I have just met you and now I am a follower! What a wonderful read, and the dog is most excellent! I can't paint worth a damn but I like to play at it and your descriptive process is encouraging! I obviously need to spendmore time in a British Pub!

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  26. Borrish was clearly a dog among dogs.

    You did a great job, btw.

    Pearl

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  27. Bravo, bravo! It is scary to do something new I know, I know. But you did it and lived to tell the tale and it was a very nice tale too. The painting has personality. It's terrific. I'm sure your friend is loving it!

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  28. I love seeing the progression of the painting! Borrish is alive and huggable. I just bought some fabriano paper (but cold press), something I have never tried and in a smaller than usual size, I think painting small is a bigger challenge than painting large. Good luck making work space at home, and I am here to tell you it can be done.

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  29. I like Borrish. You've got plenty of warmth and personality into the picture. It carries me back to the days when I used to walk some Bassets for a neighbor. Yes, they do look dignified, but once they get a scent, there's no stopping them - it's full steam a head - the exact opposite of your creative process in this instance!

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  30. You did a wonderful job with Borrish! It's a WOW!
    You've captured his personality for sure. Our daughter has had 2 Bassets and I haven't attempted to paint either of them. Pets and people are daunting to me. Your practice has paid off.

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  31. Awesome watercolor work Dan! But I must say though, it's close to beating your last post, which is evidently the best in the universe STILL.
    Anyway, the youthful look thing... I used to say it's an asian thing, but after my wife's Japanese teacher guess on my age... I am pretty sure that's not it anymore. ^^ She's about 7-8 years short on the guess...hahahaha
    If I could offer any tip...it'd be a lot of sleep and a lot of humor in life, you definitely have the latter Dan, so if you need to, you just gotta work on the beauty sleep part ;)

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  32. Wonderful job, Dan ! Your rendition of his silky robe, gentle eyes and dignified attitude is perfect !!!

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  33. Dan what a great job you did on that hound... a distinguished gentleman's portrait indeed. Dog's teach us many life lessons... if we pay attention. Thanks for sharing your struggle... that we all share.

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  34. He's fantastic! You did an awesome job, it's gorgeous and the dog really comes alive in this. I'm in awe!
    Great that you gained confidence with that work, too! I understand what you mean about the fear of wasting what you've worked so hard to achieve - painting is scarier than drawing!

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  35. I am so glad you appreciate the painting and my efforts and lessons learned. I just spent an hour responding to each of you - was almost done, and lost the entire comment. I so wanted to respond to each of you. I'll try again when I have energy. But thank you all so much!

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  36. Great Dan, and thanks for sharing the process. (I tried to view this last Sunday as it came on my dashboard updates but when I went to your blog I could only see the last post)

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  37. I would love to know the response your friend had to this masterful portrait of her beloved Borrish! You have painted not only with confidence, but with supreme sensitivity for your subject . . . all to the most wonderful result. I love the lessons learned along the way as well. They are quite familiar to me :-)

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  38. Good lessons to learn, indeed! Nice post.

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