Brandy, Pipsqueak & Max's A3 Painted Pet Portrait

Brandy, Pipsqueak & Max's A3 Painted Pet Portrait

In 2025, I had the pleasure of creating this large pet portrait of Pipsqueak, Brandy and Max, bringing three much-loved dogs together in one painting.

The portrait was painted from photographs. As the dogs weren't all photographed together in the same setting, I first edited their individual photos together to create a single reference image. This allowed me to compose the three dogs naturally as a group before I began painting.

Max and Brandy are Bernese Mountain Dogs, with their beautiful black, white and rich tan markings and wonderfully thick, fluffy coats. Their colouring and luxurious fur made them particularly enjoyable to capture in watercolour. I wanted to bring out the softness and texture of their coats while also capturing their individual expressions and personalities.

Alongside them is Pipsqueak, who has a very different look with his short brindle coat. I enjoyed the contrast between Pipsqueak's sleek coat and the much fluffier coats of the two Bernese Mountain Dogs. It gave the finished portrait plenty of variety while still bringing the three dogs together as one composition.

Creating a portrait of three dogs presented an interesting challenge. I had to make sure each dog remained recognisable and true to their photographs, while also making the final painting look as though they had genuinely been together when the original reference photo was taken. Bringing the separate photographs together digitally before painting was an important part of getting the composition right.

I love the way the finished painting celebrates all three dogs together. Pipsqueak, Brandy and Max each have their own distinctive appearance, but together they make a lovely trio. It was a really rewarding portrait to paint, and one of my memorable pet portrait commissions from 2025.

Flax Project