This cheeky chap is called Teddy, and is a Cocker Spaniel sent in by Joanne Napier.
There were several photo's submitted but this was the most engaging as he was looking directly into the camera lends with a not too impressed expression on his face. He could almost be saying, "for goodness sake will you put that camera down!"
Firstly, the composition. I wanted this to be purely a head shot, as Teddy has quite an unsual coat colouring, and I didn't want that to detract from his face. My palette was limited in the outset to Pthalo Turquoise and Process Magenta, mixed with varying amounts of Titanium White. That gave the underpainting real depth, when the addition of Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow and Paynes Grey in the eyes and fur. I used the dry brush technique that I used on the Carole Baker workshop throughout and I think this is clearly evident in the fur on his chest his chin. Picking up the ground colour (Pthalo Turquoise and Titanium White) in the highlights of his fur set him into the painting. 
This painting took me about 16 hours in total. Most of this time was working through the colour layers which I hope gives this piece vibrancy when you view it up close.

'B'...Basset Hound, Borzoi, Bulldog, Bedlington Terrier...Beagle! I have actually painted this Beagle before. His name is Dizzee and he lives with his owners in Holland. Thoroughly spoilt but totally adorable, his photo was unanimously selected from my online 'poll' and so I set about painting him.
Using a base of Yellow Ochre, my palette consisted of Ultramarine, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red Deep, and Titanium White. I wanted the colours to glow and almost have a saturated look about them, so set him against the dark Ultramarine background. I left the edges of the canvas in the Yellow Ochre, which gives the painting a contemporary feel. I worked quickly on this making instinctive brushmarks and colour decisions as I worked to completion. Although time spent on each painting is not a remit of this project, I am going to record it in the interests of how my painting style develops through to 'Z'. Will I spend more time in the detail? Or will my loose and fast approach cut the time down? THis one took me about 8 hours in total. So....on to 'C'! 
I welcome feedback so please feel free to leave comments on this page - and any tips that you think may assist me as I continue my journey :)

It's the 9th of January and the Doggy Alphabet is underway. I have completed 'A' using Acrylics - the medium that I will use for the whole exercise. The colours I used: Ultramarine, Burnt Umber, Alizarin Crimson, Pthalo Blue and White. I started by painting the whole canvas in a wash of Ultramarine and Pthalo Blue. When this was dry I transferred my image onto the canvas using an H6 pencil and then roughly sketched in the blocks of colour using  a diluted mix of Ultramarine and Burnt Umber. Using a dry brush and vigorous strokes I completed the painting building up layers of tinted colour to give the dog it's signature flowing hair. The light is to the front of the subject so I have ensured that the contrast in the fur on his chest and top of his head reflect that, along with a shaft of light across his back paw.
I was very free with my brushes (Rosemary & Co. Series 2045 Filbert - No.8, and Series 2045, Short Flat No.4) at the start of the painting, and only switched to a smaller brush to paint in his face and a few hairs to give him a 3 dimensional quality.

Afghan Hound
Acrylic
Box Canvas 12 x 16"
Colours Used : Ultramarine, Burnt Umber, Alizarin Crimson, Pthalo Blue, Titanium White
Total time taken : 5 hours

OK so it's the New Year, and not really having anything to give up, aside from a bit of colourful language, I decided to apply my New Year resolutions to my career as an artist! 
Having spent the last 22 years (and still at it) designing for a living, I wanted to use the momentum that I had working full time, to the thing that I truly love doing. How could I really start to make a living from painting? This is a question that a lot of 'real' artists still ponder, so I am sure that it isn't going to be a downhill ride! If you google 'how to become a professional artist' it guides you to a site that lists all the things you need to do in order to 'become' professional. Well, I don't know about all that , but one of the things that it advised was that you need to become REALLY good at drawing, and then an expert in your medium of choice.
With this in mind I decided that in the interests of learning and getting good at what I do, I am going to paint the A-Z of dog breeds...26 dog portraits to get my teeth stuck into. As they are not commissioned works, I can be experimental and start to truly find my style. It is my plan to also enter as many competitions (low key) as possible this year, and hopefully at the end of the year have some of my work exhibited, outside of our local art club!
Anyway without further ado, I am well underway with my portrait of an Afghan Hound. I am using acrylics as I want to utilise my work from the Carole Baker workshop, where the technique that I learnt lends itself to fur and interesting backgrounds. Do let me know what you think, and if anyone has any top tips they would like to share, please don't be shy!