Pet Portrait of a Shih Tzu dog in oils

What could be cuter than a fluffy little Shih Tzu especially one with a sweet personality that had everyone falling in love with him?

This pet portrait was commissioned by a woman for her husband since they lost their little 'Wicket' recently.  She felt a portrait would honor his memory and keep him always a part of their lives.

Keep reading and I'll show you the process of this 14x11 inch oil portrait on canvas:

Before beginning, I think about shipping.  To ensure the painting will arrive safely to its destination,. I make a box of foam core board, adhere the canvas into the opened box and then strap the box to my easel. You can see how I make the box by clicking here.

Then I sketch the portrait on the canvas with a thick pencil and paint in some colors for the background. I make sure to paint the sides as well. The blue paper around the canvas protects the box from paint. When the painting is finished, I'll remove the paper and the box will be clean.

For this portrait, I felt like painting the thick fur and tail first. Click images if you'd like to see them larger:

More fur. It's fun to paint it with thick brushstrokes:

Next are the ears and head. I am saving the details for last:

Switching to a smaller brush, the nose is painted with a mix of alizarin crimson, french ultramarine blue and burnt sienna:

Now the mouth, tongue and teeth details:

As I paint details of the face, I also put details in the fur. The last to be painted is the eyes:

After more detail work on the fur, the portrait of Wicket is finished. He looks so cuddly!

'Wicket' dog portrait oil on canvas 14x11 inches

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I'm happy to take custom orders. Contact me for a custom painting of your pet, home, garden, grandkids, favorite vacation spot or whatever your heart desires.
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