Meet Reggie, the very cute grey french bulldog whom I painted before Christmas. His portrait was commissioned as a Christmas gift for his owner, my client’s mom. I love the way Reggie is engaging with the camera and his serene expression.
I painted his portrait with acrylics on stretched canvas at a size of 30 x 25 cm. The client wanted me to include a blue bandana which he is often spotted sporting. The client emailed me two reference images and I suggested using this one where he is looking up. I removed some elements in the background to keep Reggie as the main focus of the painting.
My client was very pleased with the finished painting and emailed me with her approval 🙂
Hi Ivana, thanks, fantastic it fits his little character…Amazing, amazing! Im so excited to give it to my Mother
Julie-Anne upon seeing the finished portrait of her Mother’s french bulldog Reggie, December 2024
The background was of a wooden floor and even though Reggie’s fur is mostly dark grey, there were warm hints in his coat. His eyes are very warm too with a yellow tint coming through. My intention was to keep the overall painting quite warm. This way the blue of the doggy bandana stood out and created an interesting pop of colour.
I used another reference photo for the bandana adding it around Reggie’s neck. There is an intricate pattern on the bandana which I suggested in the painting.
I concentrated the detail mostly on Reggie’s eyes, muzzle and head keeping the rest of the portrait a little out of focus.
My Christmas season 2024 was busy with large portraits of people, wedding and baby portraits, so it was very relaxing working on a dog painting. This was my last commission before the festive season not counting a double painting of a wedding from Las Vegas. It was too late for me to finish the two portraits, so my client was happy to receive a sketch of one of the portraits. I am just finishing off the second one now and I will have it posted here very soon 🙂
I am in full swing working and accepting commissions for 2025 so please don’t leave it too late before your deadlines, be it birthdays or other special occasions. Email me your requirements and photos to info@trueimage.ie