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My first canvas

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David Perry

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A few days before he died Derek Snowdon gave me a couple of canvases on which to paint a portrait of my dog. He knew this idea was bubbling away and, always encouraging, he chucked the canvas at me saying i was to make use of what he knew he wouldnt . Im aiming to reproduce this photo i took of Yagi. My family think Im mad, I just want to both try a canvas with acrylic and also honour Dereks good will. Here goes...

Sylvia Evans

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Wonderful, go for it David .

Michael Robinson

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Lovely idea to honour Derek's good will in this way, definitely go for it and show us how it progresses. Lovely looking dog by the way, what breed is he?

David Perry

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Hes a black Lab. Born into my hands under my table. Beautiful chap, love him to bits. D

Michael Robinson

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Your drawing is great David and that's a good start, I'm sure you will do well.

David Perry

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Heres the first dabs of paint onto my canvas.
My Profile pic16

Lewis Cooper

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Watching with interest, David. I've only used canvass a few times and didn't like it much. Too much give in the surface for my liking, the few times I've used oil or acrylic I've preferred a hard surface like board. (Painting on canvass seemed a bit like painting a water bed...I imagine, never tried that). You may well find you love it. Good start here.

David Perry

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Progress so far...i am very pleased with the eyes. They really catch the essence of my dog.

David Perry

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Oh thats a bit jumbled. Sorry I find it hard to paint this black dog eith all the silver and light bits without him looking grey and old, which he isnt. David
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

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David - painting (or for that matter drawing) a black animal is a well-known challenge, which is why so many of us assiduously avoid it! But I've done it once or twice .... probably the best way is to get your darkest darks established first, so you have almost a silhouette, and then - with oil or acrylic paint, stroke in the highlights over the darks, mingling with them but trying to avoid that all-over grey look; with watercolour and pencil/charcoal drawing, you can lift the highlights out. You can also reserve the lighter areas in oil or acrylic - and I found, for painting a black dog, that for once Payne's Grey came in handy, perhaps added to a bit of dark blue. You often have to tackle this in several layers, reinstating the darks against the lights and vice-versa, to get the depth in the tone of the hair/fur. There are hints online, with the advantage of showing the process in videos, and in books. But of course, you then have to apply all this .... you've chosen a tricky subject for your first canvas, but I'm sure you'll learn a lot from it.

David Perry

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Yes im starting to figure that out, the adding layrrs bit .Its sort of obvious after a while .But whether the hamd can do what the brain sees, now thats another dance...

David Perry

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Ive reworked Yagis face to remove the fluffy look. Its an improvement i think.
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