February 16, 2008

Captured on Canvas

Through a Pup Pal request on Dogster, I was lucky enough to find Shannon Darch, an incredible artist who was able to capture Yoshi and Tsuki's true spirits on canvas. I've added watermarks to the larger digital versions, but they are not part of the painted originals.


This painting of Yoshi comes from a funny scenario that my husband dreamt up for Yoshi. By some bureaucratic error, Yoshi is drafted into the army. And, even though he's obviously a dog, everyone just treats him like a person, and refers to him in conversation as "that short funny-lookin' kid." Yoshi is, of course, still Yoshi, so he never listens to his commanding officer. This gets him put on KP duty, which, in typical Yoshi fashion, he exploits for all it's worth.


For a long time, I've pictured Tsuki as a girlie Japanese pop star, and this painting is pretty much the image of her that I've carried around in my head. As evidence of her rock star status, Tsuki doesn't like to step in puddles, and possesses the world's most discriminating canine palette (dead mice and cat poop seem to be the exceptions to this, but even divas are entitled to their guilty pleasures). She can also be quite demanding of her entourage (that's us), and will insist that we continue to provide petting and tummy rubs, long after our arms have grown weary. Her bodyguard (that's Yoshi) also complains about her bossiness. But, nevertheless, her outgoing and magnetic personality have made her quite a star (in our neighborhood, at least).

Having now worked with Shannon on two projects, I can recommend her without reservation. Not only is she reliable, but she is such a pleasure to work with. I have commissioned work from several other artists, but have never felt that they could quite capture the image that I had created in my mind. Shannon not only created images that are amazingly similar to what I had envisioned, but included additional elements that I would never have considered, making the scenes even better. Both paintings completely exceeded our expectations.

If you've ever thought it would be fun to have an illustration done of your pet (or a human, even), definitely consider contacting Shannon. But, we plan on keeping her very busy, so you better hurry! We're already thinking up our next two commissions!


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Posted by Mom at February 16, 2008 8:49 PM | TrackBack
Comments

The artwork by Shannon for your 2 Shibas is fabulous!! I have had the privilege of having an animated portrait done of my Shiba, Sushi, and our 2 cats. My husband came up with the idea - Sushi and Tatiana in the boxing ring, with Bailey as the ref - very realistic, lol!! Shannon is wonderful with attention to the smallest detail, and captures the "look" perfectly.

If you want to see what it looks like, email me and I can send it!

Bonnie & Sushi

Posted by: Bonnie & Sushi at February 17, 2008 10:14 PM

We got your comment on Scout & Max's blog!

Better hope doesn't stop doing bento boxes! You guys have it soooo good and don't even know it... Eating on tables and gifts galore.

A shiba can only dream of being treated like D-O-G someday. Have you seen the saki seat? I have asked for one for my birthday!

P.S. the cartoon of Yoshi looks just like Scout who is overweight too! He would throw every one of us under the bus too to get at the stale crumbs under the couch.

Posted by: Scout & Max at February 19, 2008 10:47 PM
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