This portrait is of a tricolor red Australian shepherd dog named Ammo, resting his head on a log. It was painted with acrylic paints on a 20″ x 20″ stretched canvas and was completed on March 31, 2022. This painting features my “natural” color scheme, with a pop of color in the background. In the original reference photo provided by the owner, Ammo was laying on a couch. The owner wanted him to be laying on a log in the portrait, so I used references of trees in my own backyard to create the log texture. The background behind the dog is a gradient of blue, teal and some green.

Ammo is a tricolor red Australian shepherd, so he has three main colors that make up his fur color: red, tan, and white. For the red areas, I used various shades of brown in layers. In particular, I used a lot of burnt sienna and burnt umber. For the tan areas, I used layers of orange mixed with light yellow, and a touch of burnt sienna. The white areas where shaded with various grays and some burnt umber. Since I usually work in vibrant rainbow colors, it was a bit of a challenge to match not only the tones (light/darks) of the fur, but also the colors. In order to create realism and some depth, I added touches of gray and light blue to the right side to imitate reflected light in the shadowed areas.

Ammo Progress Photos

In the above photo you can see the progress of the portrait. First the background is painted, and the log was blocked in with diluted burnt umber. The background required about 3-4 layers of paint, since the light blue is fairly translucent and does not cover very well with one layer. Second, I blocked in the under painting of Ammo’s features using pure colors, and also completed the eyes, nose and mouth. Third is going over the blocked in areas with many layers of paint to create fur details, highlights and shadows. I typically will work in a top-down approach, painting the ears and the top of the head first, then working my way down. The white areas of the ruff and paws were completed in between the third and fourth photos. Finally, the log was completed, which was also done in many layers.

Ammo the Tricolor Red Australian Shepherd Dog Canvas

If you love Ammo’s portrait and want one of your own, please visit my Pet Portraits Information Page to learn more about the process. I can create unique artwork of your pet in any style and color scheme. I can paint any type of animal, including but not limited to dogs, cats, farm animals, pocket pets, reptiles, birds and wildlife.

Ammo’s painting is hanging in his owner’s home. They kindly allowed me to make a high resolution scan of the artwork and offer it for purchase as fine art print reproductions in my Online Art Print Store. These prints and other products are perfect as gifts for a dog lover or someone who owns a tricolor red Australian shepherd dog. Available in this store is prints in a huge selection of sizes and materials. Prints are available on paper, canvas, metal, acrylic and wood, and there are hundreds of options for framing. There are other products as well, such as fleece blankets, jigsaw puzzles, ornaments, wall tapestries, throw pillows, tote bags, cell phone cases, stickers, and much more!