This is one of the many Christmas commissions I received in 2023. This was a gift for the clients’ parents who are the proud dog owners of two beautiful whippets. The grey one, Sweep, is on the left and sadly passed away recently. Poppy is the second whippet on the right, her fur being of tan tones. It was Sweep’s portrait my clients wanted to gift their parents as a Christmas gift. They then got an idea of adding Poppy to the painting as the two dogs were great friends and companions.
Hi Ivana! Wow! That is awesome. So dynamic! Love it. I am truly grateful. What’s the next step to get this delivered before Christmas! I really think my mam and step dad are going to lose their minds .
Keith on seeing the scanned image of the finished painting of Sweep and Poppy, Dublin, Ireland
The painting was custom in its size at 20 x 40 cm. I joined two images together to make it into a wide landscape format.
My clients did not have great photographs of Poppy. I had a selection of images for her painting and I used a combination of them for her portrait. I had one for her expression which did not offer much in terms of detail, so I used a number of images for the detail in her fur, eyes and nose. Sweep’s image is just great and was very useful for Poppy’s portrait too.
Hello Ivana!
Keith on receiving the portrait painting of Sweep and Poppy as a Christmas present for his parents, Dublin, Ireland, December 2023
Just sending you an update: I gave my parents the painting last night. My mother was moved to tears. They said it was the best present they’ve gotten in years. They’re discussing where to hang it now this morning and can’t stop staring at it. Thank you so much. Beyond happy! Merry Christmas!
I started working in a line sketch, then carried on the portrait with blocking in some basic colours in thin coats of acrylic paint. I finished on the background roughly and then moved onto detailing the main areas of the painting. I wanted the eyes and muzzle to be the main focus of the painting and therefore concentrated all the detail there.
The finished painting is on fine grain stretched canvas. It hang on the wall without a frame, but often clients like to get these framed. I would usually recommend a simple canvas tray frame which leaves a lovely shadow gap around the painting and has a simple square profile so as not to overpower the painting.