SILK SHADED ANIMAL

Silk Shaded Animal

'Woody'

Final size: 180 x 180mm

On silk with DMC and Anchor stranded cotton.

Lurchers are often used for hare coursing, particularly within travelling communities in Ireland, and are frequently abandoned once no longer needed. We adopted Woody as a puppy. Now nine, typically lazy, gentle in nature and a great family pet.

I was hesitant about the challenge of achieving Woody’s likeness. But how could I not—just look at those mascara eyes!

Woody is a rough-coated lurcher, his fur combines white, blond, and rusty tones. The fur on the top of his head is extremely short and silky, so I approached this area using a more ‘botanical’ stitching technique to differentiate it from the rougher texture of his body fur.

I studied the skeletal anatomy to better understand its structure, particularly the contours around the eye socket and jaw.

Supporting imagery:

Woody and Sara
My tonal drawings and planning
Birds nest threads!
Colour drawing
Work in progress