Dog Art (click on each painting to open full image)
A selection of dog pastel paintings and dog portraits. Commissioned Pastel Portraits. Dog paintings for sale.
Dog portraits and Paintings
Please Click on the pictures to see full view and scroll through
There are many occasions where a pastel portrait of your dog would be a fabulous and unique purchase. I have painted dog portraits for Birthdays gifts, Christmas gifts, Weddings gifts, and as tribute to a dearly loved and lost pets, or just simply as a gift from loving pet owners to themselves! In fact you don't really even need a reason to have your best fur friend's handsome face immortalised in an artwork – just treat yourself!
I have happy and satisfied clients who have come back again and again many times over the years for me to paint their recently passed away pet and/or their latest beloved dog. They have searched me down for dog portraits when I have moved house, and even when I got married and changed name! They know I pride myself on getting a very good likeness of the looks, character and spirit of their dog. I've painted single dog portraits, to 4 or more dog portraits in one painting. I've been commissioned to paint multiple dogs in one painting for a stationery company. Sometimes I've painted two of the same dog painting so that 2 people can have the same painting! Of course as I am not a photorealism painter they are not identical, but you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
I can put 2 or more dogs together in a portrait from two different photographs although this will cost extra due to the work needed to create an initial composition sketch for your approval.
For commissioned dog portraits I always paint in pastels because they are more time efficient, there is no drying time and no varnish is needed. This means that they are at least a half of the price of an dog oil painting.
My method of painting is pretty much freehand, as I know dogs characteristics so very well after years of painting different breeds. So I start by sketching the dog onto the paper then I move on to straight on to the eyes. As you will know you can really see a dog's soul through it's eyes and they are so expressive as we all know when they sit and look so soulfully at us their eyes fixated on us when they want your attention, to play, or their dinner – or your dinner!
Once I have done the eyes I start on the dog's head and shoulders. I am usually inspired by the background in the photograph of the dog that you supply, if required I can leave the background plain using just the Canson Mi-Teintes Pastel Paper colour. I block in the dark tones, in much the same way as an oil underpainting, and gradually keep working over the whole portrait graduating up to the light tones. I finish with the highlights and fine whiskers. You can see a start to finish dog portrait here.
Breeds I have painted dog portraits for include, Black Labradors, Yellow Labradors, Chocolate Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Bull Mastiffs, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, German Shepherds, Jack Russells, Border Collies, Chihuahuas, Pugs, Pekingese, Bearded Collies, Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos, Jack-Chi cross, Dobermans, Great Danes, Boxer Dogs, Weimaraners, HungarianVizslas, Westies and all manner of Cross Breeds.