Framed hand drawn cockapoo puppy portrait in modern home

Hand-drawn Cockapoo puppy portrait from photo - Maverick

Maverick's portrait was commissioned by Emma to celebrate her and her partner's first dog - a clever, cheeky Cockapoo puppy who'd very quickly made himself at home.

Out of hundreds of photos, one favourite garden photograph had exactly the look they knew as Maverick.

Using coloured pencil and wax crayon, I turned it into an original hand-drawn Cockapoo portrait with a strong, recognisable likeness and my contemporary drawing style.

Breed: Cockapoo Puppy

★

Medium: Coloured pencil & wax crayon

★

Size: A4

★

Commissioned by: Emma, Leeds, UK

★

Created from: One favourite photograph

★

Breed: Cockapoo Puppy ★ Medium: Coloured pencil & wax crayon ★ Size: A4 ★ Commissioned by: Emma, Leeds, UK ★ Created from: One favourite photograph ★

Commission Your Own Portrait

A portrait of their first dog

Maverick was Emma and her partner's first dog - and it didn't take him long to take over.

Clever, cheeky and endlessly inquisitive, he's particularly fond of food and a game of tug with his octopus toy, which has already lost a couple of legs in the process.

Emma wanted a portrait to celebrate this early chapter with Maverick and turn one of their many favourite photographs into something they could keep on the wall for years to come.

Hand drawn pet portrait of cockapoo close up

Reference photo of Maverick for his pet portrait

Maverick the cockapoo next to his pet portrait

From favourite photo to portrait

Emma had plenty of Maverick photos to choose from, but this garden shot stood out.

The natural light picked up the cream and caramel tones in his coat, while the clear view of his face gave me the eyes, expression and little details I needed to create a recognisable Cockapoo portrait.

It wasn't a professional photograph - it was simply a photo that looked like Maverick. And that's usually the best place to start.

Not sure which of your own photos would work best? Read my photo guide.

Read the Photo Guide

Explore Dog Portraits

Close up texture of cockapoo pet portrait

Creating Maverick's portrait

Maverick's Cockapoo coat has plenty of texture, but I didn't want to draw every single hair.

Instead, I built up the cream and caramel tones with coloured pencil and wax crayon, using the texture of the paper to keep the finished portrait loose and distinctly hand-drawn.

I spent a little more time around his eyes, nose and muzzle - the small details that made the finished portrait feel unmistakably Maverick.

Hand drawn pet portrait of cockapoo puppy close up

Owner with her custom cockapoo puppy portrait

Emma and Maverick next to their custom hand drawn cockapoo puppy portrait

The finished portrait

Once Maverick was finished, Emma received a preview before the portrait was carefully packaged and sent to its new home.

She later shared photos of herself and Maverick with the artwork, followed by the finished portrait framed.

Seeing a portrait alongside the pet who inspired it is always a pretty good final test of the likeness.

What Emma thought

★★★★★

“Jonny recently completed the most incredible pet portrait of our puppy Maverick. It’s incredible how his personality is captured so well. It’s like he is looking right at us.

Jonny was so good at checking to see we were happy and it arrived in perfect condition. I am honestly blown away (as was the framer when we took it in to get framed!!)

Art with heart! Thank you Jonny x”

— Emma