This is a special double portrait of Salem the schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle cross). Both are painted with acrylics on 12″ x 16″ stretched canvases, and completed in June of 2023. One was painted in natural colors with a solid teal background, and the other was painted with bright vibrant colors with a starry galaxy background. Both of these original portraits are hanging on the owner’s wall, but art prints and other merch are available in my online stores. Please visit my online print gallery at RebeccaWangArt.com to see all the prints available for these portraits.

The first of two that I painted was the starry colorful one. This was based entirely on one reference photo. Salem is a solid black dog, so I could use any color I like to paint him. But for black dogs I tend to stick to cooler colors, like blues and purples. For this portrait, I used a base layer of medium blue, and added dioxazine purple for shadows, teal for highlights, and hot pink for depth. The eyes were left the natural color of dark brown. The background was done basically with the same colors, with stars added. I brightened the edge of the dog’s portrait so he did not melt into the background, since similar colors were used for both.

The second portrait was also painted from a single reference photo, a different one from the starry one. I painted the background solid teal with a slight gradient towards a more turquoise color at the bottom. His portrait was painted with natural colors, which includes mostly grey, black, and some brown around his muzzle. As a schnoodle, he takes more after the poodle side, with dark curly fur, so I replicated his fur texture in a somewhat impressionistic manner here.

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If you like my art style and you want a custom portrait of your own pet, please visit my Commission Information Page. I paint using acrylic paints on stretched canvas. The canvases are varnished and have a hanging wire installed on the back, so they are ready to hang. I ship worldwide. I will paint any animal species, including cats, dogs, horses, farm animals, fish, reptiles, birds, and even invertebrates. Please visit my Portfolio to see all of my works.