My attempt at a dog portrait - Positive Wellbein...

Positive Wellbeing During Self-Isolation

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My attempt at a dog portrait

nicholson27 profile image
108 Replies

Hi all,

Having seen Happyme123 excellent painting of his dog, I was inspired to have a go at painting our Staffador (Lab x Staff) Shadow. He is not the best life model as he only stays still for 5 seconds a a time if your lucky so I took a photo of him in his favourite pose and worked from that.

Think it went ok for a first attempt but I enjoyed doing it which is the main thing.

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nicholson27
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108 Replies
springcross profile image
springcross

That is gorgeous nicholson. Well done, you should be proud of that. x

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tospringcross

Thank you. Glad you like it.

Gosh that's much better than alright nicholson27! Really good and great that you had a photo to work from as your subject didn't want to sit still.... 😃 You have made a wonderful job of it and you should go on to do more painting!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply to

Thanks for your kind comments. I am quite encouraged by the positive remarks so think I will have a go at a few more paintings. I love animals so they will probably be of the furry or feathered variety.

Ghounds profile image
GhoundsReading Rabbits

That's amazing, proportion is perfect and you've really captured his expression.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toGhounds

Thanks. It is hard to catch him without a tennis ball (or often 2) in his mouth but I managed to get a quick shot of him in a rare calm moment to work from.

Ghounds profile image
GhoundsReading Rabbits in reply tonicholson27

Aww, bless him, our old Lab liked to cram toys in her mouth too. My Greyhound is too dignified lol.

jackiesj profile image
jackiesj

WOW!!!!!!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tojackiesj

Thanks

I think it went far better than ok, it’s brilliant, I love it. I do hope we get to see more .

Elaine 😉

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply to

Thank you. I think I will attempt another painting as it’s quite enjoyable once you get started. Will post any that might interest people.

in reply tonicholson27

Great, look forward to seeing more 😃

bobbybobb profile image
bobbybobbAmbassador

It looks great. You can tell you love your dog very much by the detail in the painting. xx

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tobobbybobb

Thank you. He is a lovely dog. We got him as a rescue about 3 years ago when he was about 9 months old. I have had many dogs in my lifetime but never one so friendly and good natured so why he was in need of a home is a mystery to me but I’m very glad we got him.

RoadRunner44 profile image
RoadRunner44

What medium did you used. That is a super picture and as you say, you enjoyed doing it. Very rewarding and a lovely subject.

😀🐶

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toRoadRunner44

Hi, I found a few old acrylic paints left over from one of my daughters old school projects. As she is now in her 20’s and training to be a midwife, the paints must be a good 10 years old and only 4 or 5 were still useable. Luckily I didn’t need too many to paint a black dog though. I think I might invest in a few more as I’m quite encouraged by my attempt although the prices of some of the art supplies are a bit steep.

Geckomama profile image
Geckomama in reply tonicholson27

You might try pastels. It's so conducive to fur. I love your lab painting! Do more!

RoadRunner44 profile image
RoadRunner44 in reply tonicholson27

They are expensive but if painting is contributing to your well being just get them and continue to enjoy the experience.

😀💜💚

Buddy34 profile image
Buddy34

That's absolutely beautiful , I want one of my dog now 😊😊

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toBuddy34

Thank you. Maybe you could have a go yourself at one of your dog? You never know until you try. If not, you can get photos blown up and put on canvas to hang on the wall from companies on the internet which are quite reasonably priced.

Activity2004 profile image
Activity2004

Hi nicholson27 ,

This a very beautiful and cute dog picture/painting. Please keep up the wonderful work you’re doing. You’re very talented. Thank you for sharing this with everyone.😀👍🖼🌈

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toActivity2004

Thank you. He is a handsome chap or at least we think so. I will be trying a few more paintings I think.

Activity2004 profile image
Activity2004 in reply tonicholson27

I look forward to seeing your new pictures soon!😀👍🌈

2littletime profile image
2littletime

Very very nice...👍

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply to2littletime

Thank you.

daveh121 profile image
daveh121

You painted that? Incredible.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply todaveh121

Thanks.

Midnight-Blue profile image
Midnight-Blue

Hey, if this was your first attempt (painting a dog) than you did an awesome job!!Was it

freehand from the photo? You ever thought of doing this for extra money?

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toMidnight-Blue

Hi, yes I did it from a photo. I put some green across the paper rather than just having a white background then sketched the outline from the photo in pencil (you can see a mistake I forgot to erase by his back leg). I then blocked him in with black then started with the eyes and then shades of grey and white for the shading of his body. Took a fair while but the good thing with acrylic I found was it dries quickly so you can go over your mistakes easily.

I’ve never painted a dog before. I tried a couple of Bob Ross oils a few years ago but they were not very good.

Judyspal profile image
Judyspal

That's great,much better than I could ever do ♥️

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toJudyspal

Thank you.

Coco513 profile image
Coco513

Wow! I wish I could paint like that - I’m using colouring books instead.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toCoco513

Thanks. I also like the odd colouring book. As long as you enjoy it that’s the main thing.

Manda43 profile image
Manda43

Wow that's amazing

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toManda43

Thank you.

Bingo88 profile image
Bingo88

Thats Amazing nicholson27. Looks just like a picture to me. Great talent to have. Have a good day Brian

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toBingo88

Thank you for your comments Brian.

Sierrastar profile image
Sierrastar

It is fabulous. I thought it was a photo.

Elizabeth.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toSierrastar

Thanks Elizabeth. Not quite so good when you put it beside the photo I painted it from but I’m happy with it.

Jpu1966 profile image
Jpu1966

That's very impressive. What a handsome dog shadow is too? Fantastic for a first attempt. Looks like you have a talent for painting.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toJpu1966

Thank you. We think he is a handsome chap and has a lovely nature despite having had a tough start to life coming from a rescue.

Agoodenough profile image
Agoodenough

That's amazing. Very good. I thought it was a photograph.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toAgoodenough

Thank you.

footgo profile image
footgo

Beautiful painting of your lovely furry friend. You have really captured the Labrador look and emotion. Really well done, love it. Thank you! I had a black Labrador when I was twelve, too many years ago! It seems only like yesterday though. Have a wonderful day.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tofootgo

Thanks. He is very Labrador like in his looks despite being crossed with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. His small feet and white flash on his chest give it away though. That and his build as he is pretty solid and weigh is at 40kg plus. He has a nice friendly temperament consistent with a Labrador and loves people which is a Staff trait. All in all I think he is a good combination.

stamford1234 profile image
stamford1234

That's brilliant. Lovely dog!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tostamford1234

Thank you. And also from Shadow.

andrehypnotic profile image
andrehypnotic

Can it be the affect of the Parkinsons meds that brought out your hidden talent?

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toandrehypnotic

I think posts in the “positive wellbeing during isolation” go out on all forums as I am a vasculitis patient with GPA rather than Parkinson’s. I’m on a good few meds though so who knows?

coat2003 profile image
coat2003

vow. can you do a portrait of me:) or rather NOT. will crack your canvas or broken tools, that's how "beautiful" I am ha ha ha. stick to it, have an eye on perspective and size as well.what revelation.. i can do a match stick figures joining by numbers,,,a different league all together, and if enjoyment, I'd rather hover, or do do iro ing and I hate both:)

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tocoat2003

Thanks for the comments. I’m sure you are being a bit unfair on yourself and there is nothing wrong with matchstick figures. A certain L.S. Lowry did alright out of them after all.

emily62 profile image
emily62

That's amazing...

Thank you for sharing...

Emily

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toemily62

Thanks for your comment.

Ilovebunnies profile image
Ilovebunnies

You did very well especially for a first attempt & he is so beautiful. I look at all these lovely pictures & photos of pets & get very envious, I love any animal (have a hedgehog ' lodger ') but can't have anything with fur or feathers, it starts my Asthma off really quickly & goes downhill even faster. Chris

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toIlovebunnies

Thank you. Such a shame your asthma stops you having a furry friend but pleased to hear about you hedgehog. A friend of my wife has a hairless cat which is nice although a bit odd looking.

Lola2003 profile image
Lola2003

What a talent! Well done. Thank you for sharing. Look forward to many more works of art.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toLola2003

Thank you. I will post anything else that turns out ok.

Tazzy_wazzy profile image
Tazzy_wazzy

I love to paint dogs as well, this is lovely xx

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toTazzy_wazzy

Thank you. Would love to see some of your paintings. Maybe you could do a post or two?

foodbankcupar profile image
foodbankcupar

Lovely art work 👌

Kevin

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tofoodbankcupar

Thank you.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27

Thank you very much.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27

Thank you.

Oh wow. I sincerely thought that was a photo when I saw it. You have a gift. 👍🏻😊

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply to

Thank you. It’s not quite so perfect close up but I suppose it’s the imperfections and mistakes that make a painting more personal than a photo.

in reply tonicholson27

Definitely. A painting is from the eyes of the painter. So it’s perfect 👌🏻

Falcon22 profile image
Falcon22

Wow an amazing first attempt ...he looks so loving and loyal x

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toFalcon22

Thank you. He is a very loving dog. Having been in and out of rescue for the first few months of his life before we got him, I think he is just grateful to now have a stable loving environment. We are certainly happy to have found him.

Falcon22 profile image
Falcon22 in reply tonicholson27

Poor chap ....but in the loving home now he deserves...I used to manage for a time Amersham and Chesham dog rescue ...so wonderful when these dogs get their loving home x

Freddy17 profile image
Freddy17

Beautiful work.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toFreddy17

Thank you.

Big_Dee profile image
Big_Dee

Hello nicholson27

Very good, you are well on your way.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toBig_Dee

Thanks very much.

Sara_2611 profile image
Sara_2611

oh that is GORGEOUS & a 1ST CLASS ATTEMPT. i love the dog with his legs crossed

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toSara_2611

Thank you. He has always crossed his arms like that ever since we got him. Never had a dog before that did it but he is a bit of a character in many ways.

Sara_2611 profile image
Sara_2611 in reply tonicholson27

As long as hes lying down quietly though when you want him to thats the main thing .lol

Emma2017 profile image
Emma2017

More than alright, it’s absolutely stunning. Maybe I should ask you to paint one of our pointer 😃

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toEmma2017

Thank you. Glad you like it. I think I would need an awful lot more practice before doing a painting for other people but maybe one day.

Wow!! Absolutely fantastic nicholson27, I'm looking forward to seeing more paintings, it's definitely more than alright!!! Take care and stay safe Lynne

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27

Thank you Lynne. You stay safe too.

QandA profile image
QandA

Wow, I thought it was a photo at first. That's excellent!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toQandA

Thank you very much.

Snowdrops_17 profile image
Snowdrops_17

WOW you got talent!!! Honestly keep it up and make some money with it. You could illustrate children's books or anything really... wonderfull!

I had a labrador bitch. She was the sweetest girl. Do miss her at times 💜

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toSnowdrops_17

Thank you. We have had several Labrador mixes in the past and it’s always heart breaking when they go. Hopefully this one has plenty of years left in him.

Snowdrops_17 profile image
Snowdrops_17 in reply tonicholson27

Hope so too..... so cute....this pups 😍

Be nice to be able to borrow a dog for 1 day! Never mind. My daughter got a little dog, hopefully not for to long now... miss them all.

RandyM profile image
RandyM

You really captured the personality and devoted look in your dog!

The expression, pose, trusting eyes, and gorgeous black nose were so realistic.

You certainly have a talent in art and I would pursue this if I were you.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toRandyM

Thank you for your kind comments. I will keep practicing.

cljones profile image
cljones

You did an excellent job. It is very life like. You are truly an artist.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tocljones

Thank you very much.

hairbrain4 profile image
hairbrain4

That is awesome! If that was your first attempt I can only imagine how beautiful your work will look with practice!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tohairbrain4

Thanks. Hopefully not just beginners luck.

hairbrain4 profile image
hairbrain4 in reply tonicholson27

I don't think it is beginners luck. At first glance it looked like a photo. I believe you have real talent that you just unleashed! I've been around the arts most of my life & involved with our art gallery here in town. If you have a local gallery in your town I suggest you start getting involved with them. You can find out more about classes & shows for local artists.

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tohairbrain4

That’s very nice of you to say. I liked art when I was younger but as with most people, earning a living gets in the way and you can’t spare the time for such things. Before you know it 30 odd years have gone by. It is only recently that I find I have the time to try things like painting as I had to take early retirement on medical grounds due to my Wegeners.

Classes sound like an excellent idea if we are ever allowed to mix with other people again. Probably in common with most beginners I struggle with colour mixing and brush selection which I know should improve with practice but some tuition would no doubt do me the world of good.

I will look into it when things get back to normal.

hairbrain4 profile image
hairbrain4 in reply tonicholson27

I'm sure you will enjoy it & maybe make a little mad money on the side🤔

Sylvia22 profile image
Sylvia22

Fabulous

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toSylvia22

Thanks.

Airret profile image
Airret

Wow!!! Even after reading the title about the dog portrait, I thought it was a photo!!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toAirret

Thank you. I think if the eyes look lifelike then they carry the rest of the painting even if close up bits if it are not quite as photo like as they may look at a distance.

Spanaway profile image
Spanaway

Wonderful portrait!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toSpanaway

Thank you very much.

Wow you have such an amazing talent 😍

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply to

Thank you.

TheDrivenSnow profile image
TheDrivenSnow

This is amazing. Well done 🥇

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply toTheDrivenSnow

Thank you very much. Pleased you like it.

Mumma_h profile image
Mumma_h

That is crazy good!! You could make money from doing portraits for people if you wanted to. 🤗

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27

That’s kind of you to say. Maybe one day with some more practice.

sondya profile image
sondya

Excellent!!

nicholson27 profile image
nicholson27 in reply tosondya

Thank you

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