Continuing with Bonnie

I finished the second layer on Bonnie's fur, continuing to work with my Rembrandt pastels.  I also did a bit more on the mouse and the wood floor.  The mouse is the only bright red in the painting.  It needs to be bright, but not so bright that it seems too completely different a color than the reds in the rug as it is technically a "no-no" to have a color in only one spot in a painting.  For me, "rules" are good things to have in mind but not to slavishly follow.

Tomorrow I'll continue to detail the fur, using both my Rembrandts and my Giraults, and maybe even a little NuPastel for the thinnest lines.

I need to decide whether or not I'm going to put a highlight on the wood floor.  I'd like it to look shiny but am a bit concerned about ruining it.  So I guess I'll get out my scrap of Pergo, lay it in the sun, and see if I can figure out how to paint a highlight.

So far, I'm happy with the drama of light in this piece, and portraying light is one of the things I'm working on these days.

Bonnie was younger and stronger in this photo than she is now, which makes me both happy (to remember) and a bit sad (for her aging).  Sweet Bonnie.