When art imitates art imitating life

Sometimes I will get a doodle request and, in all honesty, it will throw me for a bit. So I'll put it off to the side while I think about what my approach will be.

Our friend Cally at Good Girl Grooming LLC asked me to do a drawing of the drawn dogs in her logo. Doing a drawing of a drawing is kind of meta in a way, I guess. But how do you do that and make it your own while not infringing upon the original? It might not be anything that a non-artist would think about, but it's something I'm cognizant of. I very nearly responded with a no, but I really kind of wanted to see if I could do it.

I'm not going to post the original for comparison because I don't know the image's origin and don't know what sorts of permissions are attached to it, but given the little bit of history as to why she chose it, this is my spin on one of the dogs. There are two more that will be coming, each one representing one of three sisters.

Cally the dog, not the human — although, maybe the human as well — is munching on a Tiramisu-flavored Oreo Thin. Did you even know those were a thing? I didn't until recently and I kind of wish I'd never discovered them because they're delicious. Tiramisu is my favorite dessert because it gives me my coffee fix without the caffeine jolt and accompanying jitters. The best I've ever had was in a small trattoria in Boston, but these cookies are right up there. That might sound crazy because they're artificial, but here we are. Drawing drawings of dogs and eating fake coffee.

Want me to do a drawing of your dog? Post their photo in the comments or send it to me via email, and include their name (and breed if you want to). Please make sure they're looking at the camera so I can see their face.

The drawings are completely free. I just ask that you pay it forward somehow. You can check out my Giving Back page for three great organizations that could use your help.

Or, if you aren't in the area and would prefer to support your own shelter or rescue, that's fine. There are plenty who need it. You might have a struggling neighbor who could use help, too. The world is small, the need is huge. When we come together, we can achieve anything. The boat ain't gonna row itself, so grab an oar.

WOOF!