Creating a dog portrait

I thought it might be interesting to see how I create a pet portrait. I work from your photos, so I like to have several because the lighting varies and I can see shades of colors, spots, and other markings on the animal that will make the painting more authentic.

I will look the photos over and select the one I feel I can represent the best. This is the photo I chose to work from for this portrait. The lighting on his face and the angle were interesting and engaging.

The next step is to lightly draw on the canvas so that I get a general sense of the proportions and placement on the canvas.

Then the fun starts - I put in the darks and key shapes. There will be many layers of paint going over these first strokes, but I need to get the general sense of the dog and his placement.

As more detail is added, I begin to blend the shapes and colors together, always working from largest detail or shape first. The fine details will go in last as I am finishing.

Also the lightest colors will go on last to highlight the light areas. This dog has a lot of reds, golds and tans in his coloring. I want to be sure the shadows have more grey tones in the color.

The eyes are the most fun for me. His eyes are very dark, but there is a hint of dark brown in them thatI put in as well as the lashes and light hitting his eyes.

As I work along and before I get too detailed, I want to add the background. I chose a complimentary color to the golds and warm tones in his fur (blue is a cool tone and opposite yellow on the color wheel). I also want the background to show the direction the light is coming from. (This will also help me in highlighting his fur correctly).

Then I work adding more fine detail, blending the colors, and highlighting where the light is shining on him until I am happy with the final product.