Last portrait, while I was in a department store sizing up the portrait to specially showcase the A3 cats, a lady who was there buying a photo frame looked over at my portrait and mused "Oh! isn't that lovely!...Do you paint dogs?". And a 15 minute conversation later, I had an appointment to do a meeting and portrait of her dog, a Scottish Terrier! I have always LOVED Scotty dogs, ever since reading May Gibbs' "Scotty in Gumnut Land" as a kid, and it is on the top of my list of what type of dog I'd get, if I ever got a dog. So I was thrilled to not only meet a Scottish Terrier, but to have one as my third (commissioned) portrait subject!
I did not know Scottish Terriers are quite large. Well they are still short, but their shoulders and head are incredibly sturdy and heavy, like a bull terrier in fact. This one in particular was overjoyed to meet me and kept pushing and nudging my legs with his head, and if I were a bit skinnier, I swear he would have nudged me right over he was so strong! The Scottish Terrier was bred to be able to survive in the highlands, which meant they are intelligent thinkers (as opposed to trainable intelligence like a sheepdog) where they can figure their way around things that may be unpredictable or changing. Interesting, I like them even more now! And I loved this one that I had to draw, he had a lot of spunk but also those cute, wide paws so shaggy they're like hoofs.
I was also happy and excited I was getting to do Tartan cloth. Yes, that's right, happy! I'm either a lover of detail, or a glutton for punishment.
2 comments:
So glad you got a 3rd commission. You need to get things going with this line of "business" as I am sure there are many pet owners out there who would love to see a portrait of their beloved pet!!
Love these pictures, Rosey! So cute! :)
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