This acrylic portrait painting of a chocolate labrador pet dog in his local park was commissioned by his owner as an artwork for her to have in her home. She was looking to have an image of her beloved pet in a more unique form of a painting rather than a photograph alone.
She emailed me two lovely photos of Notorius and I suggested to use an outdoor one which shows this lovely retriever with a wide smile and the true colour of his coat. Outdoor images work best for capturing the colour of animal fur.
For the background, I suggested adding some greenery and my client Shauna emailed me a photo of her local park which was ideal. It shows Notorius in his element, his regular place to take walks and excercise.
Shauna was very happy with the finished painting, a scan of which I emailed to her once it was completed.
Hi Ivana! WOW! that has made my day it is absolutely stunning! The details are superb I am over the moon with it and can’t wait to frame it. Thank you so much and hope you enjoyed painting Notorious…. Thanks again for your amazing work.
Shauna in her email when she received a scanned image of the portrait of Notorious, August 2024
The painting is smaller in size at 25 x 20 cm. I used acrylic on stretched canvas. I first prepared a portrait mock-up image for the client to consider as a basis for the painting. The client was very happy with it and decided to proceed with the order. I then prepared a line sketch with a yellow ochre acrylic paint, followed by the colour blocking stage of my painting process. The last stage would be adding layers of thin washes of paint until ready to complete the painting with some details around the main focus of the portrait, which in this case is the dog’s head and eyes.
Shauna emailed me again once she received the framed painting:
Hi Ivana! I just want to say thank you so much for the painting, I was in work all day yesterday so only saw it last night … I didn’t think it was possible but it looks even better in person ? you did a terrific job of capturing Notorious – can’t thank you enough
Shauna on receiving the painting, Castleknock, Dublin, August 2024
I took some photos of the painting when finished. I framed the painting in a neutral coloured limed wood frame before posting it off to my client.
Commission a portrait of your own dog by emailing your photos to info@trueimage.ie