Portrait of Dorie on wood panel

I just finished this acrylic painting of my Boston Terrier, Dorie, for Trekell Art Supplies's 2023 Pet Portrait Competition.  The competition requires artists to use a special shaped birch panel as the support.  This was my first time painting on an artist-quality wooden panel and I absolutely loved it.  Blending was easier than on canvas and I felt I had more control over the paint.  Why hadn't I tried it sooner?!

 

Painterly portrait of Dorie

This painterly portrait of my Boston Terrier, Dorie, is painted in acrylics.  My sketchbook wasn't big enough for this study so I reused an 8" X 10" watercolor canvas board.

I plan to do a larger painting of Dorie in the future, but I haven't gotten a suitable reference photo yet (Bostons don't like being photographed!).  Until then I'll be practicing with small studies.

From the Sketchbook - Acrylic studies of my dogs

I got out a new mixed media sketchbook for these small acrylic studies. I was inspired by artist James Gurney who paints amazing sketches in gouache and watercolor (from life, which I struggle with, so I used reference photos).

The first painting is of my Boston Terrier, Dorie, warming up in the sun on a cold winter's day. The second (with my hand for scale) is of my rescue mutt, Luna, running with her frisbee in her mouth.

New watercolor cartoons

I am now offering custom cartoon portraits in a new style! My new Watercolor Animal Cartoons are painted in watercolors and outlined with Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pens.

These matching portraits of my two dogs, Luna and Dorie, are in the standard 6" X 9" size. I painted the moon behind Luna since that is what her name means, and behind Dorie is a hurricane (a pink cotton candy looking one 😁) because she was named after a hurricane.

Want me to paint a custom portrait of your pet?
Head on over to my Order Info page!

Three Bostons in black and white

 This is a set of three 8" X 8" monochrome portraits I painted for a longtime follower of my blog and fellow Boston Terrier lover. Her Boston boys are (from left) Jace, Bentley, and Joey (who is sadly no longer with us).
 

I will be offering this style (painterly in black and white) when I start taking commissions again. This is a great option for those who are on a budget and/or only have low-resolution reference photos of their pets.

Random Project of the Week - Bostons digital illustration

Playing with digital art again this week. Guess what I drew...more Boston Terrier cartoons! 😁

In this illustration I tried to show the diversity within the Boston Terrier breed. I included most of the different colors, color patterns, shapes, and sizes.

As is often the case, this started as a little sketch in my sketchbook from a few months ago (July of last year, actually).

Dorie with my original sketch

Update: This cartoon is now available on t-shirts and as a sticker! Go to my website, gscartwork.com, to buy yours!

Introducing Dorie!

Meet Dorie, my new a-DORIE-ble Boston Terrier puppy! Dorie is a typical Boston. She enjoys pestering her big sister, Luna, then snuggling with her in the sunshine. She loves to give kisses, hop on two feet, sleep under the covers at night, and...eat everything off the floor and roll in smelly stuff. 😄 She reminds me so much of my first Boston, Sissy!

Here are my first sketches of Dorie done in pen, marker, and pencil on toned paper.

Ever since I painted the monochrome portrait of Sissy in 2018, it had been my plan to paint another portrait of my next Boston in the same style and size. Finally, here it is! It hangs next to Sissy's portrait.

New series - Candy Dogs!

 

So...I drew a pink Boston Terrier...

Why? I don't know! But I thought it was cute and it looked like it should be named Bubblegum.

And that's how this idea came about. In this series I plan to create several dog cartoons in a candy theme. Each dog gets a candy name that starts with the same letter as the first letter of its breed name.

So, to start off this series, here is Bubblegum the Boston Terrier!

Boston Terrier quilt

Not really my project, but I wanted to show this. My mom made this quilt for me and I think she did an excellent job. I did have a say in the layout and I cut out the Boston Terrier applique (yes, that's Sissy!), but Mom picked out most of the fabrics and did all of the sewing. It kind of matches my blog, doesn't it? She knows what my favorite colors are!

Monochrome Boston Terrier portrait

I haven't been posting here much, but that doesn't mean I haven't been creating much art! I have been working on several art projects, including some watercolor bookmarks, a few quick acrylic pieces, and even a wooden wheelbarrow planter for my garden (that's art, right?). I'm also in the process of filling two watercolor journals which I might post pictures of here one day. I'm just having fun experimenting and making art for myself.

For now I'll show one of the quick acrylic pieces - a monochrome portrait of...guess who. Yep, it's Sissy the Boston Terrier again. I'll paint a different Boston Terrier once I adopt another one!😀 This 8" X 8" painting took only about three hours to complete.

Video: Boston Terrier cartoon in acrylics

New cartoon pet portraits

I painted this cartoon of my Boston Terrier, Sissy, as an example of the cartoon portraits I will be offering. Anyone who wants a cartoon painting done of their pet will be able to choose from a selection of cartoon styles, poses, backgrounds, and accessories. For Sissy I included a bone, which was her favorite toy, and a butterfly as she enjoyed chasing the flying insects around the backyard.

This cartoon portrait is painted on a thin but rigid archival canvas board, my standard canvas for commissioned pieces. High-quality reference photographs of the pet are not needed for cartoon portraits. More than one pet can fit on an 11" X 14" canvas. For current prices and other information, head over to my Order Info page.

Here is Sissy's cartoon portrait beside a painterly portrait I painted of her in 2014. I used the old portrait to get the colors and markings right on the cartoon.

From a doodle to a finished drawing

I usually end up drawing cartoons when I sit down with a pencil and paper nowadays...

I originally drew this Boston Terrier cartoon much smaller as just a doodle, but I liked it so I enlarged it on the copier then traced the outline in pen, copied it again, then shaded it with graphite pencil. By using the copy machine this way I can save the original outline in case I make a mistake with the shading or I feel like coloring it in with a different medium.

Back to colored pencil

I created this small (5" X 7") colored pencil drawing of my Boston Terrier a couple days ago.

 

 

 

 

For the Boston Terrier fans

I just finished another Boston Terrier cartoon.

 

Sissy AGAIN

I couldn't help but draw another picture of my Boston Terrier. :)

I used colored pencils on 80 lb. Strathmore drawing paper.

Sissy Day

 

 

 

Today is what I call "Sissy Day", the anniversary of the day Sissy the Boston Terrier came to live with me. 

 

 

It has been five years since the day my dad carried that frightened little dog through the front door. Who knew that one day Sissy would be one of the best, if not the best dog I’ve ever had?

 

Here are some illustrations of Sissy I've done over the years. Most of them are sketches.