Elvis

Portrait of Elvis the Dalmatian

Elvis. 20x16, oil on linen. 2015.

About two weeks ago I thought I was nearly finished with this painting (after a couple of earlier re-starts) when I realized that the overall color scheme wasn't working. I went back and redesigned the whole thing over again. 

The figure turned out to be mostly salvageable but the background and edges needed a complete re-work. While I learned a lot during the process, I wish I had spent more time fleshing out the design before starting - a complex painting like this needs about a day's worth of design.

As the painting progressed I started breaking up the form and adding more abstraction, but each time I tried I ended up dialing it back to a more sane level. In the end I settled on a compromise that let me take a few edges to the limit, but kept the rest under control.

One of the things that kept me in check was the black spots. They have to be handled with a lot of care because there's such a big difference in value across the edge of each one, even those in shadow. If you try to paint loosely around them, before you know it the paint is a muddy mess and there are about 125 spots visible in the painting - that's a lot of opportunities to go wrong.


Stay in Touch

Get information about events and special offers delivered to your inbox.

Your Email

Enter your email address to receive occasional emails from Portraits by Simon Bland. You must be at least 18 years old to sign up for the newsletter. Your data will be managed in keeping with our Privacy Policy.