This was a somewhat unusual commission for a pet portrait for me. I usually work in a realistic and detailed style. My client, Fiona, contacted me however to create a dog portrait in the style of Maud Earl’s pet paintings from the late 1800s early 1900s american painting. Maud worked in oil in a painterly style. The painting was commissioned as a wedding gift for the whippet’s owners. The couple had shared a photo of Mani with a cowboy hat on and it gave Fiona and her friends an idea to have it painted in this style with a western theme. She even emailed me an AI version of her idea. I changed this a bit removing some objects and elements, keeping the hat and some interesting western themed rocks in the background.
I used the photo of Mani with the imposed background. The size of the painting was A3 at 40 x 30 cm. I used minimal amount of detail on the dog’s fur, capturing his likeness and scenery.
Fiona and her friends were delighted with the painting:
Hi Ivana! It looks amazing! We are so pleased. You nailed it 🙂
Fiona upon receiving a scanned copy of the finished dog painting of Mani the whippet, Dublin, September 2025
I worked with acrylics on stretched canvas. I started with a sketch which I painted in yellow ochre. I used a fine line to capture Mani’s likeness and a rough outline of the rocks and mountains in the background. For the setting and rocks, I used some images I researched online, of Monument Valley in Utah, USA.
I posted the painting directly to the couple. Fiona contacted me very close to their wedding in late August and I was not in the position to complete it in time, so I posted it over in September. The couple, now married, were just delighted with the painting. Fiona emailed me a photo of Mani admiring himself in the portrait 🙂
Hi Ivana, The painting arrived safely and the couple are over the moon with it 🙂 Thanks again! Attached is a picture of mani admiring the painting.
Fiona about her friends receiving the painting of Mani as their wedding gift, Dublin, September 2025
Commission your own dog portrait or a gift for a dog lover in your life by enquiring at info@trueimage.ie
I am always open to new ideas 🙂