Pet portraits are a lovely way to celebrate and remember our pets. They are also a really popular commission for artists (dogs are definitely one of the most requested animals that I get commissioned to paint!) In this step by step tutorial I’ll explain exactly how I create my colourful pet portraits.
If you’d prefer to watch the video process of this colorful dog painting, then you can watch this below. If you’d like to watch the full length video in real time, showing you exactly how I created this colorful dog painting from start to finish, you can find this on my Patreon, along with all of my other full length art videos and tutorials!
How to Paint a Colorful Dog in Acrylics (written tutorial below)
You will need:
- Acrylic paints
- Canvas
- Paintbrushes
- Palette knife (optional)
Step 1:
Choose your colour palette for your painting. I chose pinks, blues, purples and yellows. It’s best to decide on a palette before you paint so that you don’t just use every single colour you can think of! Sketch your outline of your dog onto the canvas, for tips on how to grid your outline take a look at this video. Then use either a paintbrush or a palette knife to add a colourful background.
Step 2:
Begin painting the highlights of your dog. Follow your reference photo closely to determine where the highlights are. Use lighter shades of your colour palette for this, I used mainly light yellows and oranges for this dog’s highlights.
Step 3:
Begin painting the mid tones of your dog using darker shades of paint. I used mainly pinks and mid-light purples for the mid-tones. Again, make sure you follow the shades and tones that are in the reference photo of your dog (or other pet that you are painting).
Step 4:
Continue to paint the first layer of your colourful dog using your chosen colour palette. I used dark purple for the darker shadows in the dog’s ears. As this is the first layer, don’t worry if your painting looks messy and unfinished – this is why I always paint a second layer over the top.
Step 5:
Begin painting the second layer of your colourful dog painting. Use exactly the same colours as the first layer, but this time add in some fur texture by sweeping your paintbrush back and forth and using different tones of the same colours.
For more detailed tutorials on how to paint fur, have a look at the videos below from my Youtube Channel:
Step 6:
Paint the eyes using a small paintbrush, and add as much detail as you can. Even if I am painting a really colourful animal, I still usually use more realistic coloured paints for the eyes.
For more detailed tutorials on how to paint realistic eyes, check out my Patreon, where I have uploaded lots of full length animal eye tutorials!
Step 7:
Next, paint the dogs nose. I used a mix of black, blue, purple and white paints to paint the nose on this colourful dog painting. Purple paints in the ‘warmer’ areas of the nose, and blue paints in the ‘cooler’ more shadowed areas of the nose. Use black paint sparingly, just for the very darkest shadows in the nostrils for example.
Step 8:
If needed, add another layer of fur to your painting. I painted another layer on my painting to make the colours pop more and increase the vibrancy, and to also increase the contrast by darkening the shadows and brightening the highlights.
Once you are happy with the fur your colourful dog painting should be finished!
I hope you liked this step-by-step tutorial showing you how I painted this colourful dog portrait. If you’d like to learn my top 10 tips for painting colourful animals, sign up to my mailing list below:
