Cutest Christmas Commission

Just a quick note to share a recent commission of Atka, one of my cutest subjects ever!  (He does have the advantage of being a puppy, and I've never seen a not-cute puppy, but still, that is one sweet face.)

Here's the photo I worked from, for comparison's sake -- you can see what a big difference cropping and enlarging the subject make.

I definitely loved working on this portrait.  It is a surprise Christmas gift - I can't wait to find out how it's received!

Another Top Five List: Christmas Dogs

I just unpacked a slew of boxes from the attic full of holiday decorations and paraphernalia, including a box labeled "books." Over the years my family has acquired quite a collection of Christmas-themed books, even though everyone here is technically beyond the appropriate age for them (except me, I love looking at the illustrations and always will).  After some relaxing couch time perusing this library, I noticed that there were a LOT of dogs featured in these tales.  So, herewith my second top five Dogs Illustrated in Kids Books list, this time featuring Christmas story illustrations:

5. Carl's Christmas by Alexandra Day.  Realistically rendered Rottweiler meets Santa!

4. The Night Before Christmas, illustrated by Cheryl Harness.   Basset Hound in Victorian-style house meets  . . . Santa.

3.  The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy, illustrated by Gertrude Elliott Epenscheid (her real name!).  Sweet Collie-esque puppy gets an entire orphanage of boys to live with on Christmas Eve (Santa not featured).

2.  Auntie Claus illustrated by Elise Primavera.  Mirror-image mutts have jobs with Santa.

1.  Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs.  Santa is an animal lover. 

I knew it!

Keep peaceful during this holiday season, everyone.