Mastiff Puppy Portrait

Here’s a quick portrait of Hudson. This is from when he was 7 months old (five months ago).

Hudson’s color and unique folds in his coat have been giving me fits ever since I started trying to paint him. With this portrait, I think I’m starting to figure out how to handle that distinctive face of his.

More practice will help me nail down how to create fold patterns, and better tackle his subtle coloring.

Again, I tried to keep this loose and energetic, not worrying overmuch about perfect accuracy. Instead I wanted to project the spirit of Hudson’s occasionally reserved attitude. He’s still a puppy, but occasionally I see glimpses of a future mature and aloof Hudson. He’s a big dog, at 110lbs with another year of bulking up in the works. When fully grown, he will present an imposing figure to any strangers or unwelcome critters that show up uninvited.

He’s actually a very friendly chap, but as a guard dog, we don’t want him to be a pushover. Nor do we want him to be too aggressive. Standoffish and reserved is good for a big dog. We’ve found such an attitude creates uneasiness in strangers, which is enough to keep them in their cars and out of our silverware.

I’ll eventually work on some portraits of a smiling Hudson to balance out the serious Hudson.

Why so serious?

Almost Dailies: