A SHORT SHOW & TELL on VARIATIONS part 1: Mark Making & Seeing

Felt tip pen drawing of a recumbent fluffy white dog. Grey with white and black accents. Artist Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis.

Variations on Butterscotch (Drawings) When I first got my new paint pens I made three quick drawings from the same reference photo. (Thanks, Kathy Hsiao, for the photo of Butterscotch.) I really got a thrill. The pens reminded how much I love to draw. Making these variations, I was merely getting a feel for the pens … Read more

UPDATED VIDEO on making “Megaphone”

Black and white painting of two dogs, one seen only by the tip of its nose through his medical collar.
Dog with floppy ears and a loose scruff looks sideways at an others noes protruding from a medical collar. High contrast black and white painting by Elizabeth Petrulis
Megaphone, 2014-15,  Medical Collar Series,  acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 36″, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis  BEFORE
Black and white painting of two dogs, one seen only by the tip of its nose through his medical collar.
Dino and Mookie in Megaphone II, revised 2017, acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 36″, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis  AFTER

I have updated the video on the making of “Megaphone. Since I last posted a video showing the progression from drawing to finished painting, I realized I was not actually finished. As you will see,  near the end, I dispensed with the strict technique of layering black washes on a white surface. Instead I began mixing values adding white, gray and black over each other. At this point I had also begun using acrylic mediums (particularly glazing and mat mediums) another departure from painting the Original Dog Studies. It may be subtle but there is more detail and refinement. Here then is the updated video.

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Dog/Alpaca

Dog/Alpaca, dog studies, high contrast black acrylic pai;ting of dog and its shadow by Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

Dog Studies, Dog/Alpaca, black acrylic on prepared canvas, 2013
24″ x 36″ x 1 ¼”, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis (Private Collection, Columbia, SC)

Dino was the lone survivor of our original pack of canine misfits.  But his shadow often looked like it belonged to another animal, having lost his tail in an unfortunate accident. This one I thought looked like an Alpaca. I find the distorted shapes of shadows endlessly fascinating.

See and read more about the Original Series.

Doug speaks 1

Doug speaks 1, Dog Studies, high contrast black acrylic painting, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

Dog Studies, Doug speaks 1, black acrylic on prepared 12″ x 9″ paper, c.2008, Elizabeth Lisa Petrulis

My focus on shapes, edges of shapes, and negative space all started with this white patch on Doug’s chest.

See and read more about the Original Series.