A Sketch for Toby the Bichon’s Portrait

Recently I was asked to do a painting of Toby, a little Bichon Frise who had passed away. I asked for a description of what made him special to his humans. I find that knowing this helps me in the painting process.

Here’s what they said: “He was a very sweet, loving and smart dog.  There was much behind those eyes.  We described him as an old soul.  He listened to our every word and we felt he truly understood what we were saying. He was 16 years old when he passed”

I started with preparing the sketch. We had a limited amount of photos to work with as is often the case in a memorial painting but there was one good one to paint from–although it was a little soft. Note to self (and to all of you too): take more photos of your furball now.