This is Lacy’s underpainting, sitting beside the photo I’m working from. You can see she’s a beautiful white American Eskimo, and her portrait will reflect that as I add more layers of fur. Right now, she’s the color that I see under that top layer of fur. Since I paint so thin, this layer will dry and then I’ll begin applying thousands of fine brushstrokes, building layer upon layer of fur until I reach the whitest whites in her portrait. I’ll also be enhancing her eyes and nose, deepening and brightening the color and – as is the very last thing I do with every portrait – applying lashes and whiskers.

To be continued…