London painting #1

I understand that some of you might think that I'm not doing anything but eating and drinking, which is in truth how I spend a lot of my time, but I have been making art as well!  So without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Chris and Laika:

As usual, it's a gouache painting on paper, with just a touch of watercolor to do the plaid of his shirt. I couldn't buy my normal paper here, so I'm using a brand, Saunders Wateford, which I've never used before and it definitely behaves differently than Rives BFK...but that's something that only printmakers and drawers care about, and I don't want to bore you.  I know it's not nearly as dirty as my other work, but sometimes you just need to do something to get you started.  And besides, I have to give myself a little bit of time to make some new friends.

And for those of you who really need to know the juicy details, the boy is Chris, a jeweler friend of Kelly's, and the dog is Laika, and no, she is not a pug, she's a very friendly French bulldog.  Not that Chris isn't friendly.