"Yorkie" 8x10 Graphite and Pastel

I am participating again this year in Leslie Saeta's 30-day art challenge.  The goal is to submit a new piece each day for 30 days. Inspired by my recent dog portrait, I decided to start out with pups! So, day  1 - this little Yorkshire Terrier.  What a little cutie!  

​

​Meet this pretty little Boykin Spaniel named Sugar. This was my first pet commission, and I was so excited and nervous!  It was long distance so the owners, Craig and Robin Street, sent me several photos and described her to me over the phone. I sent them a photograph of the finished portrait, and they seemed to be very pleased with it, and even had already had prints made of it so they could hang more than one!  

I was not familiar with the breed and the owners explained that the color is known as “liver,” which is kind of a chocolate brown.  I learned that the more photos I can get the better because Sugar’s coat in each of the photos looked like a different color!  She was almost red in one of them, very dark in another, and a light brown in a third photo.