How to Draw Blue Dog like artist Rodrigue

Learn how to draw Blue Dog, the series that catapulted artist George Rodrigue into worldwide fame in the early 1990s.

George Rodrigue (1944 – 2013)  was a Cajun artist who grew up in Louisiana. He went to an all-boys high school and then later studied at two art colleges, one in Louisiana and one in California. He later trained in New York. George began by painting outdoor scenes at family gatherings, using an oak tree as his main subject in hundreds of paintings.

Rodrigue’s art studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles spawned one of the greatest success stories in American art.  In the early 1990s his Blue Dog Series, based on the French-Cajun loup-garou legend, catapulted him to worldwide fame, while his dark Renaissance-like landscapes developed into robust modern masterpieces.

As a passionate philanthropist, Rodrigue founded the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, advocating the importance of the arts in education.  Programs include art supplies for schools, scholarships, and arts integration through Louisiana A+ Schools.  Visit www.rodriguefoundation.org.

You can learn more about George Rodrigue on Wendy’s blog and the book The Other Side of the Painting (2013, UL Press).

Coloring Tip: Try using a couple of different brands of crayons to get more color choices. I used a combination of Prang and Crayola, and pressed pretty hard to get the really vibrant colors shown in my sample.

MATERIALS

• Draw Blue Dog Tutorial (click to open a PDF)
• Drawing paper
• Black marker
• Crayons (try this Prang brand for some a really rich colors) This product link is a referral. If you click through and take action, I’ll be compensated a small amount, at no extra expense to you.

DIRECTIONS

More Dog Drawing Projects