The look on Jon’s face was priceless! He was blown away by it, and amazed I was able to find the time to get it done in just the times he’d been out of town, and with the other two projects I had to get done as well. It was great to see him keep going back and looking at it, and the big happy grin on his face. Made all the hassle worth it.

She’s done! I’m actually very pleased with how she’s turned out, and am over excited to see Jon’s reaction when he opens it. It’s kinda killing me now, but it’s only a few days. I’m sure I can wait. :)

Enjoy, and I’ll be sure to post an update on how he liked it. Now, still have to finish ‘The MIstresses’. Hope I get it done in time.

The finished painting

Well, I got so involved in painting and trying to get this finished that I haven’t taken any other pictures since the last one. But this is the latest, and you can see that she’s not done yet, but she’s very close. Just a few more things: final touches on her, fixing the anvil stand, and a few other tiny odds and ends.

I’m excited!!!

The last stages

I’ve started to get some color in Bon… and man is it ugly! I’m a little scared, but I need to just keep working through it… I know it’s ugly before it gets better… Just have to keep telling myself that.

So far, I don’t think Jon has a clue… I’ve kept the painting hidden in amongst my blank canvases, and he never goes in there.

Bon color

Got a little more work done on the background stuff, and I’m pleased at how it’s all coming together! Wasn’t sure about the vice on the workbench, and didn’t know what else to put there, but because I didn’t want it too detailed, I just went out and sat in the shop with some paint and the canvas and just went at it. worked out VERY well!

More background details

Started to get some of the details into the background. Not sure if I’m putting too much in there, but it won’t be too hard to tone it down some if I need to. I’m real pleased at how the signs turned out, though. :)

Some background details

Well, the plan had been to put Bon against an outdoor background… but I wasn’t liking it. While sitting in Jon’s shop, I was thinking what else I could use… and then I looked around. He always says she’s his shop dog, so why not use the shop as her background? It just flowed right out of my fingers as I was sketching, so I knew I was on the right track. He’s gonna love it! As long as I get all the shop elements right. :P

Background start

I’ve decided to do a painting of my husband’s lab for him for Christmas. This will not be easy as I can only really work on it when he’s not home, as I paint in the living room, not in my ‘craft room’… So… we’ll see if I can manage to get it done in time…

I’ve got initial sketches on the canvas, but no paint added yet. Have to get the painting done for my mother first, and, of course, waiting to see if the commission of the crosscut saw will happen.

Not much to look at, but enjoy!

Initial sketch for Bon the Shop Dog