Billie

I loved doing this portrait of this miniature pinscher. I started with those huge ears and everything else followed. Billie has such a distinctive silhouette that I knew the composition had to give them room. I painted her from a slightly elevated viewpoint so that her upward gaze could do its work. There is something irresistible about a small dog looking up at you with that particular mix of hope and cheek. I kept the background bare so nothing would compete with her expression and worked the black of the coat carefully to avoid it becoming flat and heavy.