Just off the Easel: Shih Tzu Pup

Here's a fun little puppy I just finished.  I haven't done many pet portraits lately, and this was a fun change of pace from all of the portraits and beach landscapes.

oil pastel on board, 8" x 8"
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We had a Shih Tzu puppy named Bandit who passed away years ago... this one reminds me of her.  She was full of personality and loved to lick: her nose, anyone who got close enough to her squished nose, any inanimate object or piece of furniture.  She was a bit of a strange girl! ;)

For a change, I used the clear Colourfix pastel primer tinted bright red-orange with some Golden fluid acrylics.  It made for a bright ground, more fun and colorful than my typical terracotta primer.  In the future, I'll probably try white pastel primer if I want to tint it a color, since the clear was pretty transparent when I added the acrylic.  Several coats would have made the board more opaque, but I don't have the patience for more than one coat!

I have a fun picture of some cows in Vermont that will probably be next to paint.  I bought some Ampersand Pastelbord in gray that I want to try out.  

Happy Thursday!

Bethany :)