Left: Richard Robinson, Bamsi, oil on board, 15 x 15” (38 x 38 cm) Right: Reference Photo 

I’ve done a few portraits of people in my time too, but they are a lot trickier to get just right, because of course we all pay much more attention to the nuances of human faces. In that respect I prefer painting pet portraits where you can be a little more free with your drawing and brushwork. With furry animals, if you’re careful and get the eyes and the nose right, the rest is much easier.

My standard poodle Zoey

Martha Waardenburg
Hi Martha, great painting. I like how you’ve kept it mainly grays except for the pink collar which really pops. Good painterly brushwork with lots of energy and enough detail in the eyes, nose and collar to hold the whole painting together. I’d only recommend that you darken the light area just above the nose, making it blend more gradually into the lighter gray and also run a darker glaze over the left side of the collar to shade it a little, and perhaps add a few curls of light on the right shoulder as well to avoid flatness. Good job!

Doggi, oil, canvas, 131⁄2 x  131⁄2" (35 x 35 cm)

Elena Sokolova

Lady

Fay Thomson
Beautifully done, Fay. I’d just suggest darkening the darks in the eyes a little more because they look a little glazed at the moment.

Puppy

Nancy Newton
Great job Nancy, you’ve made Bamsi look even younger than the photo by lowering the eyes a little and making the nose smaller. Not intentional I guess but, hey, he looks as cute as a button. Really nice coloring and brushwork and some great soft edges there. If you glaze a little gray over the white on the left of his neck that’ll help that area sit back in the shadow a bit and stop competing with the white of the muzzle. While you’re at it, using that same gray glaze across the base of the muzzle and mouth can give that a better sense of roundness.

Puppy

Barbara Magor
Good effort, Barbara. I’m loving the bold brushwork. I’d like you to take another look at how the color gets darker in the shadows of the muzzle and mouth, and also the chest beneath the chin. You need that to stop the face looking flat. Also, look at the light strips in the eyes, and note that the glints in the eyes should not be the same. Keep at it!

Bamsi

Lynne Walley 
Gidday Lynne, thanks for your painting. I’m loving the energy of your brushstrokes and the contrast between that and the fine detailed work in the eyes and nose. Nicely done! You’ve made the eyes a little smaller which has aged Bamsi a few years, but basically it’s still Bamsi. Great!

Bamsie

Denis King
Hey Denis, great work here. The drawing is sound enough, coloring is good and there’s a good variety of brushwork and lost and found edges. The darks of the eyes look a little too light, but perhaps that’s glare off the paint. Overall, nice!