Creative Intensity Through Dogs' Eyes

Dogs' eyes are portals into their beautiful souls, and it's an intense, illustrative journey to do them justice every time! Shelter dogs are a constant inspiration as subjects.

May 24, 2024

Combining different research photos of shelter dogs is my favorite approach to begin an illustration. Interestingly, this artwork started with an empty blue bowl, and the image of a teacup-sized dog emerged in my mind to place in the bowl. I was leaning toward simplicity as this is in my sketchbook.

The pup's art style was supposed to be loose and expressive. However, it didn't turn out that way! I got lost in a creative zone adding intricate fur details, glazing, and getting the eyes just right. The contrast between the art style of the dog and the loose wallpaper and bowl is a visual juxtaposition. At first, I wanted to cut out the dog, but now it feels okay as I embrace this compositional oddness.

Woof For Ice Cream!

After having lunch a few days ago at one of my favorite spots in Seattle, we stumbled upon a delightful scene at the takeout window of Molly Moon's ice cream shop next door. Dogs get free treats here, and I have a sneaky suspicion this cutie has been here before!

Creativity Zines

I was searching through the back of my file drawer because it would not close. Tucked quietly away in the back, was a group of zines I created years ago in a class. I had forgotten about them and what fun this project was to create. The assignment was to write a word on the cover and fill it with others that came to you in a stream of consciousness without overthinking.

I’ll share a quick flip through of the Creativity zine. Here’s a short video with the satisfying sounds of page turning.

If you are interested in making your own zines, here’s an awesome tutorial

Austin Kleon

shared in a recent newsletter. These are addictive and very easy to make! You can fill them with anything and it is a lovely gift to send someone via snail mail.

Pure Collage Fish

My collection of handpainted papers is vast and colorful. Thinking of ways to use them in my designs is ongoing. Fish are a perfect simplistic shape to use.

Treat Thinking Dog

After printing a group of lino-cut images, I wanted to make them a uniform 8” X 10” size for frameability. Little delightful bits of hand-painted and store-bought papers needed to be upcycled from my flat file drawers, so I remembered a wonderful book that artist Danielle Donaldson wrote titled The Art of Creative Watercolor. She teaches how to make sewn borders out of paper scraps. This was the perfect solution for this project!

Swish Kitty

Gelli plate printing is a fun way to create unpredictable colorful areas of paint. I searched for a character in the shapes and came up with this kitty. The sewn paper border made the finished size 8” X 10”. The buyer just needs to pop it in a standard frame. The dog and cat pieces are for sale so email me if you want more information.

Ozzie The Dog

This pup art made me smile as soon as he appeared on my paper! The world would be amazing if dogs could change their colors or be multicolored like this. Of course, cats too!

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