You all know how much I love drawing pets, from dogs to cats to rabbits I’m all over it as there’s nothing more beautiful than animals, am I right? A few weeks ago my friend asked if I’d be able to draw her sister’s dogs for her. Unfortunately one of them had passed and she thought by having a picture illustrated of both of them together this would help keep the amazing memories of those who’ve been lost forever. What a lovely thought!

The reference images.

As you can see from the images both Nanook and Mika are Akitas and what a beautiful breed these dogs are. I love how fluffy and big their fur is and I also love that they look almost cartoon like with their expressions, which is something I really wanted to play on as I love the head tilt and open mouth on any dog.

Although very similar in terms of outline, the colours for both dogs were very different with Nanook being more beige compared to Mika who has a much darker fur colouring. This made them even more enjoyable to draw as although the same in stature, the colouring in (which is my favourite part), was completely different for them both.

The final image.

For the final piece we choose to have both of the dogs sat down, I added in the famous head tilt and tongues out for both dogs, as I thought it brought a lot of personality to the picture itself. Mika’s fur was extremely exciting to draw as I had to make sure the browns, blacks and creams all blended in well together to look like real fur.

As the fur of Mika was also very dark in some places, I had to use different shading and texture techniques to add definition but I think it turned out great. What do you think?

If you’d like me to draw your pets, be sure to get in touch as I love working with you to create a piece that will be kept forever. The best way to get in touch is either via email (which is found in the links below) or via sending me a DM on Instagram (@thebeccabynature). I look forward to hearing from any of you that would like to get a picture done and even if you don’t, thanks for stopping by and supporting my little business, it means a lot.

Love, always – B
*For commissions, please email me or get in touch on Instagram*
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