This is a picture of a special dog named Kip when he was still a pup. He used to belong to my wonderful neighbors who named him Bingo. (They will sound not so wonderful here, but they really are the most loving family I’ve known–they’re just not pet people.) With three children under 5 and no experience with dogs, Bingo was soon relegated to a life alone in the backyard. He cried a lot and ran in circles, but relished every moment he had with the children when they visited him in the yard.
I took him for walks when I could, gave the family a book on housetraining, and tried to help them understand what it meant to care for a puppy. Then I helped them understand that they’d made a mistake getting a dog, since winter was coming and the dog would not be allowed inside. I couldn’t bear to see him alone all the time, with ants in his food, and no place to poop but the patio. They agreed, sadly, but knowing it was right.
That’s when my friend M. decided to adopt him. She renamed him Kip and they became best friends. She took him to puppy school, and she loved him even though he ate her socks and had to have one surgically removed from his stomach. She treated him like the special little prince he is and I got to join them on walks at the Pt. Isabelle dog park near my house. Then they moved to a small town in Oregon and I haven’t seen him for a long time. I’m trying to plan a visit to them next month.
I painted this from a photo I took of him when he was just six months old. It’s watercolor on 8 x 12 watercolor paper. I stopped before it was overworked (yay!) or even finished — something I’ve been trying to do for a while. The background in the photo was entirely green grass. I wasn’t sure that’s what I want for a background so I decided to just stop and think about it and maybe experiment in Photoshop with some possible background compositions and see what works or just decide to leave it white. I think it needs something–shadows at least–so that he’s grounded and not floating. Any suggestions would be welcomed. You can see a larger version by clicking on the image which will take you to FLickr and then clicking on All Sizes and then Large.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
10 replies on “When Kip was Bingo”
Jana, he,a nd your sketch, are beauties!! What a fantastic job you did with his fur, AND especially, his bountiful personality!!!
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He is adorable, Jana! you captured hie puppyness so well! I love his grinning little face, but then I am a dog person. God job on gently encouraging your neighbors to let him move on to a home he deserves!
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lucky Kip to have found a good home becauuse of your help! I’m curious to see how a background would change this but I like it as is, the way his legs are positioned make a great composition on the page and his stance has him firmly planted on the ground I don’t see him floating at all.
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Not too sure about your neighbours but good for you in helping them make the right decision. The drawing is dynamite. I like the way his white bottom half (not overworked but just right!) melts into the white of the paper. I’d want to leave that effect. I might try a simple ‘horizon line’ behind him and put a simple, subdued one-colour background in photoshop to see what it looks like but be careful with this one. It stands alone very well.
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This is wonderful and I agree, leaving parts unfinished really adds to the power of it. Glad there was a happy ending for Kip!
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Just simply gorgeousi!!!
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Very nice. I like it sans background, it is more powerful.
You can really see how the nose is the most important part of a dog’s anatomy – everything comes from the nose, all of his hair points away from the nose, like a vanishing point, no wonder dogs live by the nose (though some of the things they sniff, well, maybe they don’t have such sensitive noses after all…)
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What strikes me most about this painting is that everything going on – including the white legs on the white background- focuses my attention on that dogs precious face, demeanor, and the gorgeous russet colors in his fur. Good choice to not add a solid grassy background, even if it was part of the photo.
In this pared down painting, he comes across strongly as being healthy, alert, active, perky, and ready to play some more. Great job!
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Beautiful watercolor! I love it just the way it is. Nothing distracts you from the dog’s personality!
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I was happy for him and thanks for your kindness of helping him to find a better home. Look at his cute little face, he deserved the love and attention from us. Love your painting!
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