Star - Belgian Shepherd - Part IV

This post features two half-days of work. A few distractions, but once I start on a painting, I like to 

maintain focus until it's finish. It is also a good thing to get some distance form my subject; when I  return, I see things that need to be corrected. I took an angled shot so you can see that I've used gold metallic paint in the naturalistic frame.

Star's portrait is almost finished. Below were shots taken outside on a sunny day - perfect to see all the details. A black dog is tricky to paint - too much highlight on the coat and it looks like a black and white dog - not enough highlight and it looks like an ink stain.

 The side cartouche with her name and dates was also done and coordinates nicely with the top.

Some gold metallic paint was used here as well.

Click on image to enlarge

After hearing from Mel, I'm happy to say that I've captured Star the way he remembers her. The varnish, the final step, will be applied tomorrow.