Welcome to our latest Beagle Portrait in Oils – Dog Painting Commission traditionally hand painted by Nicholas Beall. The painting was created for a lovely client called Mark, in Northern Ireland. He commissioned it as a surprise gift for his wife Loretta and chose the 24″ x 18″ size. It was created using oil paints on professionally stretched canvas. As you can see from the final painting below, Nicholas enjoyed bringing out the rich tones and soft fur of these two much loved pals Molly & Sam. Scroll down to see close-up details and also some behind the scenes photos of the painting in progress!
Initial Sketch and Underpainting
The process begins with a carefully drawn sketch on the canvas. We created a mock-up combining two photos of the dogs. At this stage, Nicholas lays down an underpainting using a sepia wash. This helps establish the lighting, depth and tonal values before adding colour. This technique provides a strong foundation and ensures the final painting has richness and depth.
Blocking in the Background
With the sketch in place, Nicholas starts applying the first layers of oil paint, focusing on the background. By adding in some of the background at the start, it allows him to understand how dark the tones of the dogs need to be in comparison to the background. Everything is worked on at once so that there is balance and harmony with regards to tone and colour.
Blocking in the First Layers
Here, Nicholas starts adding in the main tones of the Beagles’ fur and face, you can see it starting to take shape. The details remain soft at this stage, allowing room for gradual refinement.
Adding Depth and Detail
As the painting progresses, Nicholas enhances the depth by layering richer tones and refined brushstrokes. Also bringing out the smooth textures of the Beagles’ fur. The subtle variations in their coats, as well as the highlights in their eyes, start to emerge, adding realism and character to their features.
Refining the Details
At this final stage, fine details such as the delicate fur textures, whiskers, and fine fur flicks are added. You can really see that the portrait is coming together.
“Well …wow! Absolutely Wow! Loretta was in tears last night when she opened it. It is utterly fabulous. You guys have captured them amazingly. It is and was worth every penny and I / we cant thank you enough. I’m taking it to the framer this morning and will send you a photo when it finally goes on the wall. Thank you both again, Mark”
Client Photos of Our Beagle Oil Portrait Commission
We were absolutely thrilled to receive these fabulous photos from Mark once the portrait had been framed. Both Nicholas and I really love seeing our artwork in it’s new home. Especially when it features not only the stars of the portrait themselves, Molly & Sam, but Marks wife Loretta too. We can’t thank her enough for being in the photos! A huge thank you to our clients Mark and Loretta and of course Molly and Sam for sending these lovely images. They truly made our day!
“It looks amazing. Anyone that has seen it has been blown away by the painting, including the framing guy who is seeing stuff every day, so very well done to you both! “
“The picture looks amazing! Hanging proudly in the back hall next to the dogs shower room. Hope you approve!“
Commission Your Own Custom Pet Portrait
If you have been thinking about having an oil painting created of your own pet, we’d love to hear from you! Nicholas loves painting portraits like this, with two dogs in the scene. It makes for a full realistic oil painting scene. If you would like to commission a portrait similar to this, perhaps you have Beagles too! Just drop us a line.
Finally you can visit our Dog Pet Portraits in Oils Gallery to see more of Nicholas’s work. Or contact us here to discuss your own custom commission. If you enjoyed this post, you might also like to see another oil painting we completed. Elly the Horse Portrait in Oils. We look forward to creating something special for you!
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