DannyAndRon'sRescue Calendar

DannyAndRon'sRescue Calendar, originally uploaded by debifitz.

Gouache on clay board
actual size 16"X20"

This is the cover for the calendar.... I was going for a "where's Waldo" kind of thing... lots of dogs filling up the picture... But after about 50 dogs I had to call it quits! The calendar is for their dog rescue charity... they have rescued and found homes for over 2000 dogs to date! The inside of this years calendar has 12 artists (including me!) doing a portrait of 12 lucky dogs... one for each month. It should be coming out the middle of november.

This is the first time I have done gouache on clay board... it had its pros and cons. It is real easy to lift "bad decisions" off... but on the other hand it is really easy to "accidentally" lift something "brilliant" off! Of course it is always "brilliant" when you accidentally lift it off! The pencil drawing did not smear off as I was working ( a plus) But I also had problems getting rid of pencil marks that were showing thru the gouache. I definitely had to develop a "touch" with the paint brush on this surface. But once I got the hang of the clay board, it went pretty well.