Meet Fish: A Quilled Samoyed Husky. Fish’s portrait was a gift commissioned to cherish his memory after he crossed over the rainbow bridge. This portrait presented a unique challenge as he was an all-white dog, requiring careful attention to detail to convey his fur’s texture and direction accurately. Despite the difficulty, I was determined to capture the grace and beauty of this magnificent creature.
A Challenging Commission
Capturing the essence of an all-white Samoyed Husky was no easy task, as I needed to maintain the true-to-color representation while also creating a sense of fur direction and texture. Each quilling strip needed to be carefully placed to bring out the nuances of his beautiful fur, and I spent countless hours working to perfect his likeness. To ensure a life-like look and feel, I used glazed paper domes for his eyes and a single piece of pink mulberry paper for his tongue.
Photographing the Graceful Samoyed
Photographing Fish’s portrait was an equally challenging endeavor. Capturing the intricacies of quilled paper art in a photograph requires precision and attention to lighting. I wanted to showcase the details of his portrait but not blow out the highlights or make his fur appear gray. Patience and experimentation were key as I aimed to produce the best representation of this majestic Samoyed Husky.
Enhancing the Details
Creating Fish’s portrait not only allowed me to explore new techniques for depicting white fur but also provided the opportunity to enhance details such as his tongue. Using a solid piece of mulberry paper for his tongue brought a level of authenticity that truly enhanced his overall appearance, adding depth and character to the piece. I have used that technique on a couple other portraits and feel as though it’s a much nicer look than trying to craft it out of paper strips.
See more Dogs.
Work-in-Progress Images
Final Images
