I often receive client snapshots where one or both eyes are partially hidden under fluffy hair. For an artist an eyeball has three main parts: the iris (color area) the pupil (the black area), and the highlights ( white dot or dots where light is reflected). When an eyeball has hair in front of it I feel it is important to erase or reduce the hair just enough to paint in a highlight and any missing pupil. When I leave a tiny bit of fluff in front of the eye I think it helps speak to who that puppy really is ... and in all honesty I like a scruffy pup that is not too overly groomed or too perfect. Stray hairs are part of being a dog.
This is Flare. This adorable little red poodle had a great photo that needed just a tiny bit more sparkle in the eyes. I gave the eye to the left a highlight and allowed a small bit of stray orange hair to wisp in front. If you scroll down to yesterday's post of Dash below you will see that he too has a tiny bit of hair in front of his eye. Stray hairs are just one of many details I think about when working on a piece.
