This piece was done for the husband of a co-worker of my wife. This is their dog Bubby. She was inspired by other, painted portraits of dogs, but was happy with the results of my more sketchy, illustrated take.
I kind of just dove in on this one, began roughing out the forms and enjoying the shapes. I honestly didn't know how I was going to undertake coloring or fur, but I think through a good combo of brushes, I was able to break away from my more usual blocky coloring to bring some more realistic life into the pup.
I personally thought the guy would enjoy the looser tie/shirt version, but the official request was for the tux and tie. I'll agree it lends a bit more focus and structure to the overall image...but he just looked so comfy before.
