Golden Retriever pet portrait pastel painting commission

I was asked to create this portrait of a handsome golden retriever named Chester for Father's Day.  I had an older photo of the dog in his younger years, laying on the grass and so the client chose to use that one (along with a few modifications to the chest) for the pose. As the dog aged, his colors intensified and so that too was adjusted on the portrait (the chest was white and his face quite pale) with redder tones.
It was such a joy to render this happy rendition of a most cherished family pet. What a beautiful memory to h ave Chester smiling back at you with his gentle eyes.

For more examples of my work, to order your very own pet portrait or to follow my artistic journey, hop on to my website or FB page.
www.colettetheriault.com    and   https://www.facebook.com/AnimalArtistryPortraits/

"Chester"

8"x10"

pastel painting

Commission

Golden Retriever dog Portrait Time Lapse Painting Progression Video

Thought you might enjoy watching how this custom pastel portrait of a golden retriever dog was created.
The portrait was commissioned by a client who wanted to surprise their spouse for all the hard work they do.
You can also view many more of my painting demonstration and progression videos on my YouTube channel and even subscribe for free!

Click here to view more videos on my channel

Painting in Pastel: A Golden Retriever Portrait Commission

I was asked to paint a portrait of this charming Golden Retriever to be presented as a birthday/graduation gift.  The pose below is actually a composite created from two of the client's photographs (the dog was in the snow).  It can be tricky to compose a portrait in this manner as the artist has to consider lighting, angles, and proportions and ensure these are accurately rendered. 

To view more detail, click the image to enlarge.

"Cooper"

8x10

pastel

Commission

Commission of a Golden Retriever Pencil Portrait Drawing

  With my pastel portraits being the most popular option lately, I was excited to receive this dog pencil portrait commission because it gave me the opportunity to try out a brand new paper. I've always wanted to try out Mellotex paper and so, after finding a Canadian distributor I finally ordered a stack of sheets. Although, Mellotex is more expensive than most papers I use, I quickly realized it is well worth the difference in price as it is by far the most amazing paper I have ever had the pleasure to work with! And I've tried many, many different kinds of papers.

  So here is the portrait of "River", in a pensive pose. Along with the wip images below, you can see the original reference photo and compare the modifications I have done to the portrait.

Golden Retriever Portrait
Pencil Drawing
approx. 8"x10"
COMMISSION

  Here are a few work in progress stages I promised to show along with the original reference image supplied by the client:

For more pet portrait and animal drawings, please visit my website artwork galleries.

Golden Retriever Portrait; commission painting in pastel





Portrait artists oftentimes have to make due with less than desirable photographs to work from when creating a painting.  This can lead to frustration or artists' refusal to work with such images.  I often have to work with such images and while I admit I've had my share of frustrations, it forces me to use my artistic judgement rather than solely rely on a photograph. Of course, I always take the client's feedback into consideration, as they sometimes guide me in the process, and as long as they are happy with the likeness of their pet, it was worth the effort on my part.

 

Here is the latest dog portrait just off my easel, and recently approved by the client.  It gives me great pleasure to be able to create a lasting memory that the owner can treasure and remember their beloved pet.

 

 

"Dixie"
Golden Retriever
Pastel
18" x 24"





reference image 4" x 6"



More and more fur!

I am starting to get lost in all that fluffy golden fur! It's easy to loose track of the fur pattern and so I keep adjusting until I feel satisfied with the look...but I have more work to do! I have to use some of my artistic judgment for this portrait because of the quality of the reference image.

 

For size comparison, you can see the pencils on the easel at the bottom of the portrait. 

 

Update on Golden Retriever Portait

After completing the right side of the dog's cheek, I began adding more of the long neck and chest fur. I also added the dog's whiskers and redefined the fringe fur along the muzzle/mouth. I enlarged the dog's left eye slightly  so I hope I don't feel tempted to retouch it.

 

The color on this photo is a bit off, showing more reddish tones than on the original painting. I will adjust the final image as close as possible to the original but for now, I must get back to painting!

 

Painting of Golden Retriever progress

I like how this portrait is finally coming along but I will have to leave it for a bit so I can come back and look at if with fresh eyes. I will probably go over the eyes again and rework the brow area. But before I do that, I will finish the fur on the side of his face and then work more of the longer neck and body fur.

 

Progress on Golden Retriever Portrait

I have been busy layering more fur this afternoon, and I re-visited the eyes as mentioned in my last post. There is so much more work to be done but at least, it is beginning to look more and more like the subject!

Update on Pet Portrait of Golden Retriever

Golden Retriever Painting ...update on the eyes

I was able to sit in the studio today and work on this Golden's beautiful eyes. There is a bit more tweaking to be done one the eye shape, and so the next update might give the dog a slightly different look.

The image below is cropped to show more of the face in the painting. Click on the image for a larger view.



Golden Retriever Painting in progress

Limited Edition Prints Anyone?

Well, it has been a busy week getting a whole bunch of limited edition giclée prints ready and framed for display at a local frame shop. The store should be well stocked and ready for pre-Christmas sales.

Prints and cards are also available for purchase through my website here: http://www.colettetheriault.com/prints.php  If you are interested in a print of a particular piece of art, simply drop me an email and I will advise you of the total cost and if it is available.

Since I print on-demand, practically any of my pieces can be turned into prints because it is easier on the pocket book (I don't have to order 100's of identical prints at once for any particular artwork).

  Who said artists' job is to only paint and draw??

I took some studio time today to add the background to the Golden Retriever painting so here she is so far:

Add caption

The start of a new dog portrait revealed

 At the clients' request, I have not been able to share the progress or final portrait of two of my recently completed commissions. We would not want to ruin the surprise now, would we?  In due time, I will share with you those two paintings I have to keep secret for now.

In the meantime, I am able to share the current painting on the easel. I am facing a rather tough challenge.
 To put things in perspective, the reference image of the subject measures  6" x 3.2" and along with several other not-so-good shots, is to be used to create a large 18"x24" head/shoulder portrait.
  Unfortunately, the pet has passed away and the owner has only poor quality photos to hand me. In this case, I will have to dig into my extensive library of dog images to help me with the details of this Golden Retriever's portrait as well as rely on the client's feedback with the help of work-in-progress updates.

original photo

 

mock up image of portrait using photo above

work in progress of Golden Retriever painting

 

Dog Portrait of Golden Retriever and Labrador mix

I love the look and feel of pastel on suede as it gives the portrait a soft and delicate appearance...so much so that the viewer is tempted to pet or stroke the dogs. 

 

I decided to add a few coats of spray fixative to this larger painting to ensure the pastel stays where it is supposed to. This prevents unwanted loose dust to dirty the glass and mat once the portrait is framed.

To read more about this dog portrait visit my website at http://www.colettetheriault.com/descriptions/petdescriptions/dogs_portrait.php

Lexxie and Dakota
Dog Portrait Commission
Pastel
18x16

Dog Portrait update

I would like to thank all who commented and followed the progress of this dog painting. Your kind words, guidance and encouragement helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel so-to-speak.

 

While painting each dog presented it's own challenges, I at times felt that I would never be satisfied with the piece. But now, I  have finally reached a point where I can breathe normally again as I feel a sense of exhilaration knowing that the painting will shortly by completed and handed over to the client. Nothing truly beats seeing the expression on their face as they view their portrait in real life for the first time...

 

Black Labrador Portait in progress

I was able to begin working on the second dog in this portrait. Although she looks like a black Labrador or flat coated retriever type dog, she may also have some border collie lineage in the mix.

Once I have completed and am satisfied with the head and face of the dog, I anticipate the rest of the body will be quite a breeze...or at least, I hope so.

 

Here are a few more updates of tonight's work.

 

 

Progress on the Golden Retriever portrait painting in pastel

Today, I've almost completed the Retriever's body fur; having only part of the legs and feet to do before I continue to fill in the grass.

In the next update, I should have begun working on the second dog in this portrait commission.



 

Backdrop for Dog portrait painting in progress

In this step I added several layers of pastel to create the blurred out background for this portrait. Four different shades of green were used for the grass, (three shades on top of each other) with a solid color for the darker band or greenery across the very top. I may still go back at the very end and soften the background more.

 

Now that the background is pretty much done, I will be able to go back and add the final layer of  fringe fur around the golden retriever's head and complete the fur on the rest of her body.

 

Golden Retriever Portrait painting update

You might notice on this update that the dog's left eye has changed position slightly. After looking at them over and over again and observing the image in the mirror, it was apparent that a touch up was in order.

The colors are much richer in real life than on the update below which was taken with a camera.  I reserve the final scan and color adjustment for the last update as I'd rather be painting than spending time matching an update to the original.

Golden Retriever Painting commission in progress

Finding the correct colors to paint a golden's coat accurately can be challenging. For example, the light source and reflections from surrounding objects and the environment will affect how the dog's coat color appears in a photograph and in real life. To complicate things further, the genetic variability of the retriever's coat can make one golden appear redder while another to look almost white. 

While it can be next to impossible to match exactly all the tones and subtleties on any animal's coat, it will be easier to accomplish if you have a wide array of pastel colors at your disposition. The more pastel sets you have, and from different manufacturers, the better!

So let's have a look at what I have so far...

Golden Retriever Portrait (Pastel Painting)

Title: Mosby

Medium: Pastel

Support: Archival Suede

Size: 10" x 8'

COMMISSION

To read more about this dog portrait, please visit my website http://www.colettetheriault.com/