The Recycled Dog

Medium: Watercolor/Gouache, Image Size: 9”h x 12”w, 1998.

This is an illustration I did for my children’s book ‘The Recycled Dog’. It is a story about my dog Benji. Benji was an incredible dog and a great friend with whom I hiked thousands of miles with. My husband and I adopted him from the Mt. Shasta Animal Shelter in Mt. Shasta, California. He must have had some cruel memories because he had nightmares several times a week for the entire duration of his fifteen-year life.
I wrote the book about what I think happened to him before we adopted him. I drew drawings for the book, but this was the only artwork I fully illustrated in color. I had some book publishers interested in the book, but I never landed a contract. I intend to illustrate it someday. It is the least I can do for Benji and all the millions of animals abandoned each year.

Painted in watercolor. Scanned into the computer, floated. Painting, graphics, colors, effects, and text were done in Photoshop.