Do You Wanna Play? or Bridge Times Four - Act III

Detail of Do You Wanna Play?

Final Panel in a series of four 6x6 gallery wrapped canvases

Acrylic glazes on gessoed canvas layered with Prisma & Poly colored pencils

  This is the final chapter or act in the making of this artwork. For the final 6 x 6 inch canvas I wanted to show Bridge at his best....looking up at you.....just saying as plain as day: “Do You Wanna Play?”

In this part of the artwork, I switched from straight, slow drying acrylic paints, and painting in a semi-impressionistic style, to a tighter more realistic style. I wanted to show the different kinds of fur that “is” Bridge, from the short brindle ones on his muzzle to the longer “fluff” of his white collar with wisps floating over his black back coat which is almost blue it's so black.

To do this panel, I used a mixed media technique.

I painted multiple thin coats of gesso over the rough canvas, until it was mostly smooth with just a slight “tooth”.

I then laid in a very light coat of acrylic glazes (a bit of paint mixed with a lotta acrylic glaze medium) in the colour pattern of Bridge's face, muzzle and coat. This both gave me a “road map” to his features, and provided me with the perfect ground to use coloured pencils for his fur.

I then used various coloured pencils (mostly Polys and Prismas) to sketch in the darker brindling on his face and muzzle. I also used multiple strokes with dark coloured pencils over his back.

 I finished off his portrait with acrylic glazes on his eyes to get that lovely liquid reddish golden brown of his eyes....not forgetting the all important daub of white highlight for a defining shine.

I also finished up this gallery wrapped 6x6 inch canvas by painting the top part of Bridge's ear peeking up on the top face of the canvas and showing the blue chew toy on the side face below.

 

 

With just a bit of coloured pencil lettering on the white slats connecting the four pieces topped off with an acrylic varnish, and Frank's VERY clever hanger, (making sure that the four canvases hung STRAIGHT) I was finished with “Do You Wanna Play?”