Your dog as a poster set: one outline, four paint schemesPink, teal, yellow, purple, black. Trace the same outline four times and fill each with two flat colors.
Your dog as a puppy seated next to itself fully grownCoat colors, cream, brown. Paint the two at their real sizes, sitting side by side.
Your dog asleep in its usual spot, seen from aboveCoat colors, gray, cream. Take the photo straight down and paint the curled shape before any detail.
Your dog mid-shake, ears and jowls flyingCoat colors, white, gray. Blur the outline of the head with short sideways strokes.
Your dog on a walk, the leash running off the canvas edgeCoat colors, green, red. Run the leash from the collar to the canvas edge so no walker is needed.
Your dog on a windy hill, ears blown backCoat colors, gray, pale blue. Sweep the ears and fur backward with a nearly dry brush.
Your dog waiting at the door, back view against the lightBlack, yellow, cream. Paint the doorway bright and the dog as a dark shape with a soft pale rim.
Your dog's eyes only, a letterbox strip across the canvasBrown, black, white, coat colors. Crop to a long strip and put the same white glint in both eyes.
Your dog's head and shoulders on one flat favorite colorAny bright color, black, white, the coat colors. Paint the ground flat first and the dog from your photo over it.
Your dog's nose and whiskers filling the whole canvasBlack, gray, pink, white. Crop the photo to the nose and paint its wet shine as one white curve.
Your dog's paw on your palm-sized canvas, pads and allBlack, pink, coat colors. Paint four toe pads and one large pad, then the fur around them.
Your dog's quizzical look, both ears at different anglesCoat colors, black, white, teal. Keep the slant of the eyes and the ears exactly as the photo shows.
Puppies 12
Litter asleep in a heap, five noses pointing five waysBrown, tan, cream, black. Paint the pile as one rounded shape and pick out each head with a nose.
Lopsided puppy sitting on one hip, hind foot stuck outTan, cream, black, pink. Tip the whole puppy to one side and let one back foot stick out.
Puppy belly-up for a rub, paws foldedCream, tan, pink. Paint the pale belly largest and fold the four paws over it.
Puppy carrying a stick three times its lengthBrown, tan, green, black. Run the stick right across the canvas with the puppy in the middle.
Puppy chasing its own tail in a blurred circleTan, cream, green. Curve the body into a ring and smear the tail with a nearly dry brush.
Puppy halfway through a hedge, back legs and tail onlyGreen, tan, white, brown. Dab the hedge with a sponge and paint just the back legs and tail sticking out.
Puppy nose to nose with a garden snailTan, cream, brown, green. Lower the head until the nose nearly touches the snail and lift the tail high.
Puppy peeking out of a cardboard boxBrown, tan, cream, black. Paint the box as a plain block and two paws and a face over its rim.
Puppy sniffing a dandelion puff, seeds lifting offTan, cream, white, green. Paint the seed head as a pale ball and flick a few seeds away from the nose.
Puppy stepping on the tip of its own trailing earBrown, tan, white. Stretch both ears to the ground and put one front paw on an ear tip.
Sleeping puppy with a milk-round bellyCream, brown, pink. Paint a bean shape with closed eyes and four short legs tucked in.
Two puppies sharing one end of a rope toy eachTan, black, white, red. Face the pair nose to nose with the rope stretched level between them.
By coat and build 12
Curly-coated dog built from swirls of a round brushWhite, cream, gray, pink. Fill the body with small overlapping swirls and leave only the nose smooth.
Fluffy dog as a cloud with a face and a curled tailWhite, pale gray, black, pink. Stipple a cloud shape with a stiff brush and add three dots for a face.
Low-slung dog from the front, belly close to the floorRust, brown, black, mustard. Paint a deep chest between two short front legs with the long back hidden behind it.
Shaggy coat hanging like a mop, eyes hiddenCream, tan, gray. Paint long locks of hair from the top of the head to the ground.
Silky coat falling in long waves from each ear and legRust, cream, brown. Pull long wavy strokes down from each ear and the back of every leg.
Smooth short coat with one bright highlight along the backBlack, gray, white, orange. Paint the dog in one dark color and run a pale gray shine down its spine.
Speckled coat printed with the two ends of a brushWhite, black, gray, red. Paint the dog white, shade it in gray and print the spots with two brush ends.
Stocky dog facing you, front paws planted far apartTan, white, black, pink. Set the front legs wide apart and paint the head nearly as wide as the chest.
Streaked coat: broken dark stripes brushed over warm brownBrown, black, ochre. Paint the coat brown, let it dry and streak broken dark lines along the body.
Tall narrow dog in profile, deep chest and tucked waistGray, cream, pale blue. Curve the underline up sharply behind the ribs and keep the legs long.
Thick double coat: a soft pale layer under long dark hairCream, gray, charcoal, white. Paint the pale underlayer first and drag darker guard hairs over it.
Wire-haired dog with eyebrows and a beardGray, tan, black, white. Flick short stiff strokes outward at the brows, muzzle and legs.
Dogs doing dog things 12
Dog asleep halfway up the stairs, chin on the next stepBrown, tan, mustard. Paint three steps as bands and drape the dog across two of them.
Dog carrying its own empty bowl, head held highBrown, silver, cream, black. Clamp the rim of the bowl in the mouth and tip the head up.
Dog digging on a beach, sand flying out behindSand, tan, brown, blue. Fan short strokes of sand backward between the hind legs.
Dog guarding a single slipperTan, black, red. Lay the chin across the slipper and roll the eyes up toward the viewer.
Dog nosing the mail as it drops through the doorGray, white, red, black. Paint two white envelopes in mid-fall and the nose lifted just under them.
Dog reaching one paw under a chair for a lost ballTan, white, yellow, brown. Flatten the dog to the floor and stretch one paw under the chair toward the ball.
Dog rolling in fall leavesBrown, orange, red, yellow. Turn the dog on its back and dab leaves around and over it.
Dog shaking dry, a ring of drops around itBrown, white, pale blue. Dot the drops in a rough circle with a cotton swab.
Dog snapping at the arc of a garden hoseBlue, white, tan, green. Curve the water in one white arc and put the open mouth where it lands.
Dog swimming, only head and a straight wake showingBrown, teal, white. Paint the head low in the water and a V of ripples behind it.
Dog under a table, only paws and nose past the clothRed, white, tan, black. Paint the cloth as a wide checked band and two paws and a nose below its hem.
Muddy paw prints across a clean floor to a happy dogBrown, cream, tan, black. Print a trail of paw marks from one corner to the dog in the other.
Simple shapes and silhouettes 12
Dog and walker as two long evening shadows on a pathOchre, violet, orange. Paint only the shadows, stretched across the ground from the bottom edge.
Dog from a bean body, a circle head and two flap earsMustard, brown, black, white. Paint a bean, a circle on one end and two hanging ovals for ears.
Dog on a hill under a big moon, head liftedNavy, cream, black. Paint the moon large and the dog small and dark on the hilltop.
Dog outline filled with a pattern of bones and ballsCream, red, blue, black. Draw the outline, then fill it with small flat shapes and no shading.
Mini canvas trio: nose, eye and ear on three small squaresBlack, brown, pink, white. Paint one feature on each small canvas and line them up in a row.
Round-faced dog traced from a saucer, long ears addedPink, brown, black, white. Trace a saucer, add two long ears and paint a nose and two dots.
Row of five dog tails over a fence, all waggingTan, black, white, brown, green. Paint the fence across and five different tails above its top.
Seated dog as a flat plum shape on a peach groundPeach, plum. Paint the ground flat, let it dry and fill the seated shape in one coat of plum.
Stencil dog: a cut-out outline dabbed in one colorTeal, white. Cut a dog shape from cardstock, hold it flat and dab paint through with a sponge.
Three dog outlines overlapping in three see-through colorsRed, yellow, blue, white. Paint each shape in a thinned color so the overlaps make new ones.
Wedge-shaped dog face, an ear filling each top cornerOrange, black, white, pink. Paint a wide triangle, point down, with an ear at each top corner.
White dog shape left bare on a painted groundNavy, white. Stick a paper dog to the canvas, paint over everything and peel it off.
How it works
Dogs differ so much in build, size and coat color that the best model is the one at your feet. Twelve of these start from your own photo; the rest sort dogs by coat and build, not breed.
Read the full guide
Paint the coat the way it grows
A double coat is a soft pale layer under coarse guard hair: paint the pale layer, let it dry and drag darker strokes over it with a nearly dry brush. Acrylic is water-resistant once dry, so the layers stay apart. Curls are swirls; a wire coat is short flicks.
Simple dog canvas painting ideas
Seated dog as a flat plum shape on a peach ground is two flat colors and one shape. Round-faced dog traced from a saucer, long ears added needs no drawing. Both sit under Simple shapes and silhouettes.
Questions and answers
What are some fun puppy painting ideas?
Twelve sit under Puppies: Puppy stepping on the tip of its own trailing ear, Puppy halfway through a hedge, back legs and tail only, Puppy peeking out of a cardboard box. A puppy is painted with paws and ears a size too big.
How do I paint my own dog from a photo?
Pick a photo taken at the dog's eye level in daylight, crop it close and paint the big shapes before any fur. Your dog's head and shoulders on one flat favorite color is the plainest start.
Are there dog stencil painting ideas here?
Two: Stencil dog: a cut-out outline dabbed in one color, and White dog shape left bare on a painted ground, which masks the dog with paper. Easy first dogs, under More filters, holds 23.
Which are the cute dog painting ideas?
Fluffy dog as a cloud with a face and a curled tail, Puppy sniffing a dandelion puff, seeds lifting off, and Sleeping puppy with a milk-round belly. Round shapes, big eyes and one small tilt do the work.