The eyes are one of my favorite subjects. I’ve been doodling eyes on everything from books to grocery lists most of my life. In school the teachers thought I was taking notes but I was just drawing eyes over and over. The more astute instructors probably knew what I was doing. See, I have an obvious tell, even to this day I make scrunched up and sideways faces when I create art.

A few years ago I was reading an artist’s blog and she said you should always start a portrait with the eyes. This makes so much sense! A portrait I did of a Rottweiler a few years ago I only painted his eyes. He had such an intense look and he kept his eyes on his master; so, I thought just the eyes would be the perfect composition “Watch Me.” When it came to this latest commission, “Smokey,” I wanted to capture the spirit, the essence of this beautiful animal.

As you can see, I started this painting by underpainting with a light coat of green. I then sketched with pencil the eye placement and composition.

One of the most important aspects of painting eyes is light direction. I took several photos of Smokey outside. So there is a clear light going through his eyes. I also had the photos on my phone so I could zoom in and capture every light, speck, and color.

To complete the painting I used the smallest brushes in my studio to create the feeling of fur. It definitely takes longer but is so worth it. This painting is on a 10″x 20″ canvas and I used acrylic paint. Please contact me if you would like a portrait created especially for you.