Australian Shepherd- Wanna Play Frisbee?

Contrary to its name, the Australian Shepherd Dog did not originate in Australia.

Native to California, the Aussie was developed in the 19th Century as a working dog.

This ever growing popular breed needs a task to use up its energy and drive. Throw them a frisbee and watch them rise to the challenge (or should I say, jump to the challenge).

The Aussie stands 18”-23” at the withers and can weigh between 35 and 70 pounds.

The colors are blue merle (black and grey with white patchwork), red merle (liver red and beige with white patchwork), black, and red. The eyes are known as “ghost eyes” meaning that they can be hazel, amber, blue, green or brown. They are also known to have eyes of different colors as well.

I chose to paint the the blue merle with the copper points on the eyebrows and cheeks. Painting dark dogs can be a challenge because if you paint them all one color like black then your painting will be flat. You have to incorporate other colors and lighter and darker values in order for the fur to take shape. On this painting, I first painted the fur a burnt umber/burnt orange combination. Then I went back in with a black mix of purple and neutral tint. All colors being transparent, the warm shades of copper show through the black giving the dog dimensions.

Remember the movie “Babe”? Babe, the little pig, considered the Aussie Shepherd his mom. She dutifully taught Babe how to get along with the other farm animals.

Such a cute movie!

Stay tuned next week for the “Basenji”. Thanks for reading!