There's nothing better than painting a happy dog!
I love doing portrait commissions of smiling pooches. From my perspective, as the artist doing the painting, portraying a happy dog makes the portrait come alive. It adds a great real life quality to the dog, and makes it impossible to dismiss.
There's nothing wrong with a serious dog, and I enjoy painting those portraits as well. But working on a happy, smiling dog portrait is a joy from start to finish. In the end, when I finish, I guarantee I'm smiling as well.
Every dog smile is different. And since I work mainly from references, it's helpful for the client to include a photo of their dog smiling when ordering a commission.
So, how do you get those smiling dog photos? I think most of the photos I've taken of my dogs have been after some exercise. A walk, hike, or even a few minutes playing fetch (if that's your dog's thing) can boost the chances of a good smiling dog photo. In my experience, a tired dog is a usually a happy dog.
Keep that in mind of you're thinking of commissioning a portrait.
Here's a great happy portrait. This is Otto (11x14).
About the Author
Topdog is Steve Merryman, a retired graphic designer, illustrator, and curmudgeon-in-training. Steve can often be found working on a portrait commission or some other artwork. Steve fills his days by painting, writing, shootin' guns, cuttin' trees, hiking with his dogs, and shaking his head at world events, all while searching for the perfect cheeseburger. He is occasionally without pants.