"Daisy Blue" - finished

The photo I used as reference for Daisy's face was taken with flash - there's red-eye, and she was looking upward. I want her looking straight at you, with Border Collie intensity. The eyes are critical; eyes will make or break a portrait. Especially in this one because of the concept - a black-and-white portrait with Daisy's one blue eye in color. That blue eye is what I call the "punchline" of the painting. So I left her eyes 'til last, and went at them with great concentration. These are the reference photos I used for Daisy's eyes. The center one is the face shot I was using.

And here is the finished portrait. It was completed and shipped in time for Carolyn to give as a surprise Christmas gift. Grisaille (single-color portrait) is my lowest priced portrait. This is a good example of what can be done for a very reasonable price.

What is interesting to me is the way your eye fills in the missing colors - the pink tongue, a yellow and green daisy collar. I have been experimenting with leaving paintings in a partial state and your eye fills in the rest. I have more things to show you in that area... Stay tuned!