I started bringing Ruthie to Bark Social about two months ago. She has the time of her life playing with the other dogs there, and I can relax and read my book or socialize with friends. The trainers there are very attentive to all of the dogs and they love my Ruthie.
The place has become very special to me, so when I proposed the idea to do a pop-up with my art on May 19th, I knew I needed to make a piece especially for the occasion.
Gaby, one of Ruthie’s favorite Bark Social trainers!
I started by taking a bunch of photos and brainstorming about what kind of art I should make. What stood out to me is how the dogs run the place!
Then I stumbled across this artwork on Etsy:
It was the perfect concept! I decided I would draw the dogs sitting at one of the tables in the patio with the turf field in the background. I had to take photos from the correct vantage point to make this possible:
In the artwork, the dogs would sit at the table under the TV. I turned the table horizontally so that all the dogs would fit.
I stood awkwardly in front of the tarps to get a good view of the field. This is the image I used for my sketch of the field.
The first step was to make a sketch of the turf field and the buildings behind. Then I uploaded the sketch to Canva and used the Elements feature to add all of the dogs. Canva was the appropriate tool because it allowed me to find dogs in all the positions I wanted: running, playing, fighting, drinking, splashing, and even pooping!
I uploaded my sketch of Bark Social into Canva, where I added all of the dogs, drinks, food, etc.
Next, I printed the collage from Canva and used a lightbox to trace the image onto an 11 x 15” piece of watercolor paper. It took a little bit of finagling to space out the dogs correctly and to draw their proportions correctly.
After the drawing was complete, I used a .005 Micron pen to trace over the pencil line. I erased the pencil so the graphite wouldn’t blend into the colors.
Next, I used Copic markers to add color. Copic markers are like watercolors - they bleed a little, so they blend really nicely with each other and are vibrant in color.
The final product: It’s a Ruff Life.
I was really pleased with how bright the artwork turned out. It makes Bark Social look energetic and fun. I think it encapsulates the spirit of the place!
FREE Live Art with Emma Whitaker
May 19th 12 - 3pm
Bark Social
935 Prose Street
North Bethesda, MD 20852
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