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.

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Doug speaks 1

Doug speaks 1, Dog Studies, high contrast black acrylic painting, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

Dog Studies, Doug speaks 1, black acrylic on prepared 12″ x 9″ paper, c.2008, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

My focus on shapes, edges of shapes, and negative space all started with this white patch on Doug’s chest.

See and read more about the Original Series.

Mookie Wilson in snow

Mookie Wilson in snow, Dog Studies, High Contrast black acrylic painting, qquickly brushed by Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

Dog Studies, Mookie Wilson in snow, black acrylic on prepared boards, 2007, 9″ x 4 ½” , Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis (Private Collection, Marshall, IL)

Mookie Wilson in snow was a typical scene. This quickly brushed portrait is really a precursor to the Dog Studies series. It was the beginning of my use of black and white.

Mookie had a thick coat and was at home in snow. He loved to eat it, even scooping it up as he ran.

See and read more about the Original Series.