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Lady Peppy, the ‘Downton Abbey’ version of my stepmother’s Shih Tzu, is finally done.
This is the third video in a three-part series. You can find the first video here, and the second video here.
I wasn’t sure I’d finish her, but maybe I didn’t like the sculpt just because I don’t normally put animals in clothes. It just isn’t ‘me’ somehow. I love the idea, and there are some wonderful examples of that type of sculpture done by other artists. But it takes time to get used to the idea…
I did change Lady Peppy before I painted her – I got rid of the silly bow on her hat and fixed her eyebrows and muzzle. Let me know what you think after you watch the video.
Now that Lady Peppy is finished I may have to do a portrait like this of my yellow mutt, Charlie. But I’ll need to get a better photo of him, when he hasn’t been rolling in the snow. 🐶
It was so much fun trying to figure out how to paint Peppy that I ordered some new detail brushes. They aren’t here yet, but I hope to learn how to use them, (with some help from fellow YouTubers), before it’s time to paint the moose I’m currently working on. He’s going to be really big, so I probably can’t get away with just splashing on a coat of moose-colored paint. 🙂
Some helpful links”
- The first video about Lady Peppy
- The second video about Lady Peppy
- Magic Sculpt I used for the face and hat band (affiliate link) – It’s very similar to Apoxie Sculpt.
- I found a great video of an artist painting a black Labradoodle with a red muzzle. I don’t know how to use that style on a sculpted dog, but it’s still a great video. Click here to see it on YouTube.
Said it before and I’ll say it again, cutest thing I ever saw. And the sculpture and pup are adorable too : )
very nice, thanks for sharing
Lady Peppy turned out fabulous! The way you did the eyes is what transformed her and haven’t her life. Dry brushing over a dark base is fun but also hard to know when to stop. I’ve learned a lot of easy and effective painting techniques from this YouTube artist: https://youtube.com/c/CreativeMom
She does a dark base and dry brushes layers of lighter color for an amazing effect. I noticed she uses a very corse brush for her dry brush layers. Switching to a hog hair style filbert brush really improved the look of my dry brush technique.
Thanks, Rebecca. I’ll check out that channel – thanks for the recommendation. 🙂
I think you did a great job on Lady Peppy! The painting is amazing and the eyes are so realistic! I love that you show us your process of not feeling you get it right the first time as it really helps me persevere and keep on trying. You are so generous with that.
Thanks, Denise, for your kind words. 🙂
Oh Jonni, Lady Peppy is just adorable. I loved your changes to the eyes and ears, it really brought out much personality! The way you painted the cape is fabulous…it really looks like tweed fabric. I use finer detailing brushes when painting the fine lines, as in the fur. You were very bold in using the larger brush. Did you try that special fur painting brush that Jessie showed us a few years ago? I wouldn’t do anything different; you are such an expert and you dont even know it! Thanks for sharing…cant wait to see the moose!
Hi Eileen. I did try using the brush Jessie showed us, and I couldn’t get it to work this time. I think the surface of the fur was too textured, or my fingers are too clumsy. I don’t have any detail brushes yet, but I will in about four hours when the UPS man shows up. I watched a lot of videos while trying to figure out how to paint Peppy, and it looks a lot easier with the right brush. I might practice on some canvas boards when they show up.
What was the name of that brush..I googled it but couldnt find it..thanks for info..
Jessie recommended a ‘grainer filbert brush.’ It’s really fun to use, and does work well, but I couldn’t get it to work over a highly textured surface. You can see Jessie painting the cow with the brush here.
So clever… great job. You mentioned a moose will you be making a pattern for the moose.. would love to see it …
Yes, I’ve started making a pattern for a moose. He’s really big, even though I’m not making one full-sized. My house isn’t big enough! The challenge will be making antlers that are light enough so they don’t try to pull him off the wall. Any ideas?
I havent made the deer one yet but the aluminum foil idea seems to be a good choice….was it? maybe card stock under foil instead of cardboard…just a thought..
I think the foil over cardboard will work for the moose – an engineering problem could be caused by the extra weight on the ends of the antlers, which the deer antlers don’t have. I think the lower end of the antlers, where they attach to the head, will need as much support as they can get so they don’t crack or bend. I’m not even close to that part of the project, though, so I’m just speculating at this point. It may not be as much of a problem as I think it could be. 🙂
Hi Jonni!! What a beautiful job you did finishing the dog. You are truly a talented lady. Looks almost real!
I checked out Daily Sculptors. What beautiful work they are doing. And this is such a nice outlet for their work.
Kudos to all for a job well done!!
Judy
Thanks, Judy! 🙂
Oh wow she is just beautiful. I adore your work and how you share so much of your knowledge with us. I am hopeful that soon I will make time to start one of my own creations from following your videos. I have purchased two of your books
Thanks., Jenny. I hope you get started soon – you don’t want to miss out on all the fun! 🙂
So cute. Thanks for sharing. Love the details.
Thanks, Robin! 🙂
Jonni, I know you say you’re not a painter but I beg to differ with you. You did such a good job painting a difficult subject. But you always do. Congrats on finishing it. It looks great!
Jonni, you did a great job on her. Lady Peppy is so properly adorable.
Thanks, Lesley! 🙂
Just lovely as usual!
You are really talented my girl!
Thank you, Francine. 🙂
She looks great and the eyes! Amazing job!
I’m glad you like her. 🙂
I really like what you’ve done with Lady Peppy. The eyes are so realistic! I’m very impressed with your sculpting skills and how you were able to rescue something that wasn’t working for you and turn it into something so handsome.
Thanks, Jeannie. The eyes were painted fast and with no real detail, but they did turn out quite nice. Sometimes simple works best, for me at least… 🙂
I enjoyed Downton Abby , I could have watched it non stop, lol, & I absolutely love Lady Peppy. I think you really captured her
Thanks, Linda. I love that show, too. Did you know there’s a new movie coming out this year? The trailer looks interesting: https://youtu.be/aCn3GZ_hwzk
Oh wow! Didn’t know. Thanks, I’ll check it out?
I think you’ve done a great job with the dog. Looks really cute.
Thanks, Penelope. 🙂