It started its life as a dollar store golden retriever.
I didn’t have a “before” photo, so here’s its tail instead.
I thought it would be fun to repaint, so I did. I covered it in gesso, and decided I didn’t like its face very much. So, I covered that ugly little face with a black mask:
Now, what I did was a happy little coincidence. There is a breed out there that is golden with a black mask, and is built like this model. It’s called a Leonberger.
So, now I am going to pretend in my mind I actually did that on purpose. Of course it’s a Leonberger. See the markings I gave it?
It was a lot of fun painting this model. I put to use a technique I learned from one of my sculpture teachers: Never use colors “straight out of the tube.” If you want a color, make it yourself.
I have four models on my shelf right now that I have painted within the last two years. The others, however nice, are different shades of the same darn color. This one actually looks like I used different paint.
So while I have no definite “breed” for this dog thing, I still like it. I take pride in this model.
Oh, yes. And it’s… for sale! You can buy this thing by clicking on my Etsy store link.
If you can’t tell by how I did the photoshoot I think it looks like a sheepdog.
