I had the opportunity to paint colorful pet portraits of two adorable English bulldogs – Max and Ruby. This is the first time I have painted this breed of dog, and it was both a pleasure and a challenge to create these paintings. They were both painted with acrylic paints on 12″ x 12″ stretched canvas in early November 2021. Both paintings have a predominantly cool color palette, with lots of green, teal, blue and purple.
Max is a brindle and white English bulldog. He is mostly white with a patch of brown brindle on his face and some on his body, which can’t be seen in this painting. His portrait was created by using three different photos of him. I used one photo for the main pose and two others to fill in details such as his eyes and markings. Most of the portraits I create use a composite of photos for the reference. The background is a smooth gradient of green, teal, blue and light purple. This makes the primarily white color of his portrait stand out, but does not distract the viewer’s attention. I used shades of blue and purple for the shadows of his face and body, with some pink for around his lips, ears and eyes. I used very dilute pale yellow for some highlights and to add warm tones to the painting. The brindle patch was created with a whole rainbow of colors. As a bulldog, Max has lots of wrinkles and floppy jowls. These were very fun to paint, and gives a lot of depth to the painting.
Ruby is a black and white bicolor English Bulldog. She also has asymmetrical patches of color on her face, with her body being mostly black with white paws, neck and underbelly. I used a photo of her laying on the floor as the primary reference, another photo for her eyes, and a third photo for her markings. The background in her painting is also a smooth gradient of green, teal, blue and purple, but in the opposite direction of Max’s portrait. She is laying on a hardwood floor, which I used mostly light yellow and orange, with hints of darker colors to give the impression of wood grain and boards. I wanted to keep the background understated for her portrait as well. I used a lot of purples, blues, and even hot pink on the black areas, and blue, violet, and yellows for the white areas, with some pink in her ears and lips.
Max and Ruby
I really enjoyed bringing Max and Ruby to life on canvas for their owners. I would love the opportunity to paint more bulldogs in the future! If you would like a colorful portrait of your furry friend, please check out my Pet Portraits page for more information and contact form. I can create a portrait in any size and either in square or rectangle shapes. I will paint any animal, and have a large portfolio of portraits you can peruse to get inspiration for your own portrait.
These two beautiful original paintings are hanging in their owner’s house, but I do have them available as prints and other products in my online stores. Please visit the links below for more information!
Prints and Other Products
These two cuties are available in my online print store as fine art prints and other unique gift products. Click the links for Max the Bulldog and Ruby the Bulldog. Each artwork is available in a large range of sizes and print materials. Choose from paper giclee prints, canvas, metal, wood, acrylic, and tapestry. Each type of print is available in multiple sizes, and paper prints have hundreds of framing and mat color options. Available in this store is also other home decor and gifts, such as tote bags, throw pillows, t-shirts, stickers, wood ornaments, greeting cards, phone cases, duvet covers, fleece throw blankets, carry-all pouches, beach towels, coffee mugs, spiral notebooks, and jigsaw puzzles. These make fantastic gifts for someone who loves English bulldogs!
