[Socar MYLES]

This is the first Rottweiler I have drawn!



For the people who are complaining that I post my work too small, you can click here to see a bigger version (1200 X five hundred and something).

[shahar2k]

is this done from life/photo or from your imagination?

it's nice although something about it bothers me.... maybe its just the lack of any real shadows.... and there's just something about the pup's anatomy.... dunno what though, you drew him too much like a rat (ripply skin) dogs dont really get that many folds in their skin....

[SolarC]

I think it's the lack of contrast of the grass and the dog that gives the picture a bit unreal and dreamy feel. I like it!

[Bilbo]

Looks good... i really like the rendering of the grass and bushes. It seems like that bright patch at the top is too distracting, almost blinding. and shahar2k may be right about the lack of harder shadows given the harsh lighting condition.
as to the dog itself- looks good to me, although not a rottweiler- they tend to be more massive in structure, and have shorter snouts and broader heads. And they scare the hell of of me while walking my 20 pound doggy. :-)

[Jolyon Meldrum]

Nice looking foliage there was a painter 7 tutorial that looks a lot like the technique you used, I found it really helpful. The dog doesn�t look like a rottweiler, it�s head and snout are too slim, the legs at the back are a bit too long I think. Get some reference for the dog, the pose also doesn�t look very doggy.

[Socar MYLES]

Well, I think the dog might actually be a Rottweiler cross of some sort--the reference actually looked very much like this--so just disregard what I wrote about "rottweiler". The owner of the dog said it was a rottie, so I just assumed she knew what kind of dog she had.....

EDIT - Just to clarify a bit more, I had decided not to make the shadows too deep in this picture, to try to give it a...warm glow. I wanted it to give the impression of...hm...the epitome of all warm, sunny afternoons, and have almost no dark (sad) area at all.

So, the question I should have asked in my original post was, did I succeed in this? What else can I do in a picture to give it a happy mood? Does this picture look happy/lazy/summery to you?

[ June 03, 2002: Message edited by: Socar MYLES ]

[zak]

hahahaha i misread rottweilet for potweiler. he he he. im so immature.

[Gimbal8]

If nobody has mentioned this yet, Good composition.

It does have a lazy summer look to it. But the dog's expression is misleading to me. It kinda looks sad. But then again I've seen dogs give that look combined with a wagging tail and they seem happy, as if they are about to roll over and have their belly rubbed. Maybe a ball or stick or the owners shoe (whatever the dog might like to play with) lying next to it will brighten the mood. Like the dog got tired of playing and is just chilling out by the water, content.

The vegitation is very well done.

[Awetopsy]

Socar, your paintings are really coming along. This is a very nicely done picture. I think you've captured the relaxed feeling of the dog perfectly. most people when they think rottweiler, they automatically think teeth and barking/biting mean dog.

I really like this image. very nicely done.

[Jeise]

Hey jolyonmeldrum, if you read this could you tell me where that Painter 7 tutorial is? Or what it was teaching exactly?
Or if anybody else knows what he's referring to, I'd like to know very much.
In the meantime, I'm running a search.

[10ten]

awesome pic! Only one crit.. rots usually dont have tails (their like little stubs.) Other then that... WOW! I would love to have a pic of that on my wall. SWEET!

[Enayla]

Hey, only reason to why some rotweilers do not have tails is that there are some very sick people cutting them off.

Glad to see that didn't happen to this one.

Lovely image, Socar, as I think I might've mentioned elsewhere. The summery look is wonderfully executed.

[Socar MYLES]

Hey, guys...thanks to everyone for commenting! I won't be changing anything about the dog's appearance, though...I just heard the following from the owner: "No need to change a thing, it looks just like her." (I had asked if all the markings were correct.) So, as I said, maybe this dog is NOT a purebred Rottweiler--it doesn't really look like one to me, either, now that I've looked through the Net and seen some other Rottie pics. It looks like a rottweiler/retriever cross to me. Anyway....

shahar - It is done from a photo--it is somebody's dog. I guess the dog might be a bit fat, or maybe it's just the breed, but there ARE a lot of folds in its skin. I don't know...I have seen a lot of dogs with rippling skin like this--their skin tends to be pretty loose, and when they lie in bent-up poses, their skin drapes in folds. I'm not trying to argue or anything...I'm just saying I had to paint the dog I was asked to paint...not an "ideal" pooch.

Solar - Thanks! And I was hoping for exactly that feel...I wanted it to look saturated with sunlight.

Bilbo - Yes, a couple of people mentioned the lack of shadows...I just didn't want them to kill the mood. I agree about the bright patch, though. I probably went overboard there. I'm trying to get away from my usual almost-nonexistent palette, and into more bright and vivid colours. Probably I went too far!

jolyonmeldrum - Hm...strange.... Not my Painter 7 tutorial, anyway--this is Photoshop.

zak - LOL...better watch that marijuana intake, there.

Gimbal - Thanks. Hm...I hadn't noticed a sad expression, there. One guy over at EK said it looked HORNY! *Laughs* Maybe that expression IS a bit too ambiguous, eh?

Awetopsy - Thanks! Yeah...what's up with that mean-rottweiler stereotype, anyway? This dog looks pretty harmless to me--same in the reference pics.

Jeise - Not a clue...sorry....

10ten - This one had a tail...fortunately.... I can't imagine why someone would remove a dog's tail.

Enayla - Thank you! And, yes, it is very nice to see that this dog still has its tail. I mean...don't they need 'em for balance, or something? There's got to be some reason for their tails.