What's a Schichon?

My daughter's family had two dogs. Uncle Wally, a Cavapoo (cross between a Cavalier and a Poodle) and Professor Gilbert, a huge Golden Retriever. Wally was a family member for a few years and then along came Gilbert. Wally tolerated him and you might even say they were friends. At least hey kept each other company.

Then for whatever reason, the family decided they needed a 'tiny dog.'  Much research was done and they decided to bring Coach Theo into the family. Theo is a Schichon - a cross between Shih Tzu and a Bichon Frise. Apparently, they are also called Teddy Bears. They are adorable bits of fluff!

Over the years I have done dog paintings...it was time to welcome Theo to the family wall.

Since he is mainly hair, I found it a challenge to really capture this little imp. His hair almost covers his eyes and you can barely see his mouth. You know he has feet, but they are covered with hair.

He is a very light color so I began with a dark toned pastel paper.

I got lost in his cuteness... I kept going

At this point I decided that, whereas the dark background made him stand out, it was too black/strong for such a little guy. And, the texture of this particular pastel paper wasn't adding anything to the painting.

I started over on a sanded paper with a lighter tone.

The cuteness is still there without being over powered by the BLACK! He needs a few tweaks here and there...

He's floating on nothing. I grounded him with some dark pastel around his feet and a nondescript place to stand.

Gotta love him!