MEET THE MODEL: Sadie

Sadie dog belly up twisting and rolling in the grass

Sadie came our way from a friend who rescued her but could not keep her. She was medium, terrier-ish, energetic, and strong willed. At the time we had one dog, Doug, a large, barrel-chested mix of undetermined parentage (possibly Great Pyrenees and Labrador), sweet and playful. We did our best to introduce the two as … Read more

MEET THE MODEL: Doug

Black dog (Doug) with white muzzle, tongue hanging low, one ear up one down, peering out of a soybean field.

The name of our first dog was inspired by a Gary Larson “far side” cartoon featuring a man peeking around a tree in a fenced yard, and a sales man at the gate looking at a sign that reads “Beware of Doug”* (My husband’s idea.) * I am not posting the cartoon here in respect … Read more

A SHORT SHOW & TELL on VARIATIONS part 1: Mark Making & Seeing

Felt tip pen drawing of a recumbent fluffy white dog. Grey with white and black accents. Artist Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis.

Variations on Butterscotch (Drawings) When I first got my new paint pens I made three quick drawings from the same reference photo. (Thanks, Kathy Hsiao, for the photo of Butterscotch.) I really got a thrill. The pens reminded how much I love to draw. Making these variations, I was merely getting a feel for the pens … Read more

UPDATED VIDEO on making “Megaphone”

Black and white painting of two dogs, one seen only by the tip of its nose through his medical collar.
Dog with floppy ears and a loose scruff looks sideways at an others noes protruding from a medical collar. High contrast black and white painting by Elizabeth Petrulis
Megaphone, 2014-15,  Medical Collar Series,  acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 36″, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis  BEFORE
Black and white painting of two dogs, one seen only by the tip of its nose through his medical collar.
Dino and Mookie in Megaphone II, revised 2017, acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 36″, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis  AFTER

I have updated the video on the making of “Megaphone. Since I last posted a video showing the progression from drawing to finished painting, I realized I was not actually finished. As you will see,  near the end, I dispensed with the strict technique of layering black washes on a white surface. Instead I began mixing values adding white, gray and black over each other. At this point I had also begun using acrylic mediums (particularly glazing and mat mediums) another departure from painting the Original Dog Studies. It may be subtle but there is more detail and refinement. Here then is the updated video.

Read more