Like most Bulldogs, this guy is just full of attitude! It was fun to paint his wrinkles and that piercing eye. It sort of looks like he is saying, ‘you want a piece of me!’ It certainly seems like the most important part of painting animals is the eyes. A painting can be out of proportion and if the eyes speak to you, then you may get away with it. Hopefully the proportions are correct as well, but I’m just trying to make a point…the eyes are very important.
This is a painting that was a little experimental. I used a black and white photo to try to make myself focus more on using warm vs. cools depending on where they were in relation to the light. It was actually quite helpful. I look forward to doing it more. I don’t want to just copy a picture, but use it as a guide to be more creative.
Bloodhounds are such a distinguished looking breed. Doesn’t he look stately! I guess to some they are ugly, but I think they are beautiful! To be honest, I wouldn’t own one, but I do think they are very beautiful, and to think of just how powerful those noses are with all those wrinkles and floppy ears helping to trap the scent for them…fascinating to me ( =
This beautiful girl is my sister’s dog. It took me a while to get a good picture of her, but I think this one worked very well. She had just been groomed and is looking her very best. She has such big, warm eyes.
This shaggy girl is ready for a good grooming! To me she is just adorable as is! Different strokes for different folks, so they say…but she certainly was more fun to paint this way ( =
In case you cannot tell, she is facing back over her left shoulder with just a tiny bit of nose showing through all those curls.
This is another pet portrait in my series. I’m just trying to practice up on my dogs right now. They always seem so fun to do. This particular shot looks so sad, but as most pet owners know, looks can be very deceiving. Although some breeds definitely seem to literally smile, some do not.
This portrait was done for my brother-in-law who breeds Collies. It is a bit more on the ‘realistic’ side than I am trying to go but it was a pleasure to do. I think I do struggle with trying to paint in a more impressionistic way, and probably always will, but that is what I really desire to do. It usually means that I have to paint things a couple of times in order to become more familiar with the subject and then it seems to be a bit easier to be somewhat impressionistic with my strokes.
Dog’s can be so amusing and entertaining! This one looks a bit sad, but certainly more than willing to do whatever the master wants. Actually there are many dogs that thrive on this kind of stuff, you know, playing dress up etc.
I had a German Shorthair Pointer several years ago. She was a wonderful dog. So smart and willing to learn and please. They are great dogs!
I would like to mention here too, that the underpainting process is very helpful in these animal portraits. Sometimes one may want to be freer, but in general, it is very helpful to get proportions right early on.
Personally, I think Pitbulls are beautiful dogs! I just love to paint them! They are a very handsome breed, if nothing more. I just loved the way the warm sunlight gave this guys coat a real glow. And his green eyes were just so sweet.
This is a 7×5 oil painting for my little sister of her dog Bindi. I am seriously considering doing pet portraits for a while. When I started out drawing as a kid, all I wanted to draw were horses. My love for animals has not changed, nor has my enjoyment in painting them. It is fun to capture their unique expressions. It is also a real pleasure to see their owner’s reaction to the picture when finished. So although I love landscapes and trees, I think I am going to take a side road ( = and do some animals for a while. Perhaps I will do both, but we shall see what kind of response I get.
Art with my Coffee 