Bulldog portrait by Iain McDonald. This portrait is of a bulldog called “Sarge”, with fantastic eyes and patches of colour. I decided to crop the painting closer to the face, rather than replicate the whole photograph, because the features of Sarge’s face are fascinating.
Here is the original photo:
I love that you can see the eyes in the photograph. It’s often much more difficult to paint a portrait when the eyes are hidden either in shadow, or reflect the light from the camera. The eyes really are the gateway to the soul!
Here is the final painting (click for larger image) , I prefer to paint in an impressionistic style, with broad brush strokes and bold colours.
Finally here is a closeup of the detail and brush strokes.
Copyright © Iain McDonald 2004 – 2011