A new commission begun ...

About four years ago I painted this cutie patootie named Tabasco.

He’s a Swedish Chihuahua. 

A Long Winter’s Nap: Tabasco © 2012 Karen Mathison Schmidt

Now before you go Googling “Swedish Chihuahua,” I should tell you he’s not a new breed; he’s a Chihuahua who just happens to live in Sweden. 

Now he’s a little older, but just as cute as ever, and his “Mom” wants a new painting of him. 

She sent me these photos of him and asked if we could put him in a comfy cozy setting like we did last time, but this time with a color scheme of pinks, lilacs, purples and greens.

So I gathered a few things from around the house that fit into the color scheme (including a blouse and a skirt, some fringed throws, and a couple of fabric place mats) and held a little photo session out under the trees. 

Jo made a brief appearance. 

She left in a huff when she found out the set-up was for a DOG painting. 

I tried to get Pontoufle to sit in for Tabasco ... 

... but he wasn’t into it. All he wanted to do was take a nap under the bench I had so conveniently placed there, just for him.

So I used a little Chihuahua-sized vase as a stand-in for Tabasco.

 At one point I stuck this pot into the mix. I wasn’t sure how I would use it, but I really liked the color and texture with all these other colors.

After spending some time going through the photos and pulling elements out, I used Photoshop to put together two compositions for Tabasco’s mom to choose from as a reference for the new painting.

See how I used the texture from that green pot? After I finished with this picture I caught myself thinking, “ I wish I had a chair like this for the front porch.” 

This is the photo comp she chose. I started the painting yesterday and I’m loving painting this adorable little guy; check back tomorrow for progress photos!