Eyebrows rock! And dogs with
eyebrows always make me smile. There is just something so wonderful about a dog
that looks at you and raises her eyebrows, as if to say, “Do you want to play fetch?”
As visual artists, we learn to pay
extra attention to little things like eyebrows. A great pair of eyebrows can
express rage, empathy, sorrow, amusement, curiosity and so much more.
In fact, studies show that up to
93% of human communication comes from non-verbal interaction. For animals that
number would be even higher.
That’s great news for artists. Our illustrations don’t just add a little color to
the story. Through expressive characters, our artwork can develop deeper levels
to the story in a single image quicker than words could convey in several
pages.
Lately, I've been on a mission to
capture character, and I find tons of astonishing personalities with each new
animal I meet. So I gave myself a challenge for 2014 to paint a different
animal personality every week.
I limited myself to just pets with
a distinctive personality, just ones living in the Twin Cities suburbs, and
only a single pet per portrait with only one animal from any household. This
meant I had to get the word out, and had to meet new people and new pets.
So far I've met a precocious puppy
whose aim in life appears to be food and destruction, a guinea pig that believes
in feng shui, and a keeshond Australian shepherd mix that survived for almost a
year with a wild dog pack after being abandoned.
I also spent a delightful hour
with therapy dogs at the library. Every month these volunteer owners and well mannered
dogs descend on the children's section of the library and patiently sit as
eager kids practice reading to them.
What an amazing program! I can't wait until it’s my book they’re pulling off the shelves
and showing to the dogs.
Although the Petburbia Project didn’t begin as a concept for a children’s book, I can see it becoming
one or at the very least inspiring one.
After all, the reason anyone wants
to get to the end of a book is to find out what happened to the character who
captured our attention on the very first page.
Free smiles, fun newsletter, and
the chance to have your own pet painted in watercolor at the Petburbia Project.
