The Perfect Day for Banjo
I am so thrilled that Banjo allowed me to capture his likeness! One of my favorite things in the entire world is drawing spots. It might possibly be because I have lots of spots myself, or it might be because spots are the most beautiful thing in the world. Either way, I love drawing them.
I knew I wanted to pay homage to Banjo’s heart-shaped spot in this piece, so you will notice that one of the flowers in the vast field is indeed shaped like a heart (the one to the right of Banjo’s black ear). I tried sketching Banjo in poses where that spot was prominently displayed, but that usually meant his face was not prominently displayed, which is what most dogs prefer in their portrait, so I opted to represent the heart spot artistically versus literally.
This piece is very special to me because it is the first portrait I have done using a graphite stick! I wanted to create a whispy feeling in the grassy field, and I knew this would be the PERFECT tool for that. I drew the entire piece with a tiny black stick that looks like this:
They are messy. And I have to try hard not to eat them.
Below, I also included the images of Banjo that were my main inspiration for the piece. There were so many amazing ones, but I wanted to capture the delightful expression I saw in these specific ones. They spoke to me.
Banjo was the most amazing muse!! Thank you so much for letting me capture him through art! I would draw him again any day.
Be artful,
Oxford
