Please help me in my mission to complete my Dog A-Z! I am up to 'Q' so anyone with any dog breeds that begin with Q onwards please send your good quality photos to alison@alisonstafford.com. There is no obligation to buy your painting, though should you wish to purchase it once it is painted then you are welcome to do so. All I want is real dogs from real owners with your dogs name and a bit about their character so that I am not just copying a photo. Your help is truly appreciated!
Thanks in advance
Alison
x 
PS see my progress on my Facebook page! www.facebook.com/AlisonStaffordArt
PPS I am also missing 'H' , 'I' and 'O' too!!!

Oh my! I got totally carried away with the pug paintings! They are so full of expression that I had to try and build a little family of them. The original was owned by a lady that breeds them, and I managed to sell this when exhibiting with the Association of Animal Artists in Nottingham. I can understand why this breed is so popular at the moment, and would happily paint more!
Each painting is 10x10" Acrylic on canvas

I don't know about you but I was blissfully unaware of this breed until I put the call out for anyone with an 'N' dog. Thankfully a lovely lady from Canada replied and this is her dog 'Knicky'. This whole painting was completed using a new technique of using dabs of colour, not long brushstrokes like my other paintings. I really enjoyed it, but it did require a lot of concentration, making sure I had the right colour on my brush before putting it to the canvas. The reference photo was really small so that when I blew it up it pixilated, which in this instance sort of helped me to not be precious about the detail. I felt I had the essence of the dog, but I would never describe this as a realistic portrait. That said it was a great exercise that I will take into other works, where the end result is not reliant on a photo realistic finish.
Knicky - Acrylic on canvas - 12x12"

M…ah well I could have asked you all to send your Mastiffs, Miniature Pinschers, or Maltese', but as we have a Manchester Terrier, and he is a right poser it seemed natural to paint him. We had a photo shoot that lasted most of an afternoon. He happily placed himself along the back of the sofa, on his back by the fire, on red alert for pigeons and just gazing into the camera, but I chose the expression that he has when anyone says the word "Squizza!" which is code for Squirrel. We have an extremely fat one that taunts him through the conservatory window several times a day, which sends him into a frenzy of barking, throwing himself at the window, and running around in frustrated circles. We sometimes very very quietly open the door and send him out to see if he can catch it but to date we have no luck! 
"Squizza" or M is for Manchester Terrier
Oil on Canvas
10x10"

I had been dying to paint this particular dog for ages, but the owner was waiting for the perfect pose! So when I nipped over for a cup of tea I took my camera with me, sneaked the dog into the garden and snapped away. I got some really cheeky shots, which had it been human would have been described as coquettish! He really is full of character, and at one point got onto the trampoline! I decided to use this shot where he was looking over his shoulder as he looked as if he was saying, "What, what have I done now?" The owner liked it so much she bought it for her husband for his Christmas present! 
Archie - Acrylic on canvas - 16x12"

So this little King Charles looks nice and comfy! Painted using a palette of Titanium White, Pthalo Blue, Cadmium Yellow, and Magenta I wanted to keep this lively so used a No.6 flat hog hair to quickly put in the background and blanket and then used a No.4 Filbert to sketch in and put most of the detail into the dog. I then finished with a No.1 Round brush for the details - hair and eyes. All in all about 3 hours work.

Not being the type to blog for the sake of blogging I have severely neglected my updates. Nearly a whole year since the last one!! Tut! Tut! Not that I suppose anyone really cares, but it has made me realise that my A-Z of dogs exercise that started out as a quick series of experimental paintings in acrylics has turned into a laborious labour of love. I think it is taking longer than intended because it is quite hard to get you lot to send me good quality photos of your dogs. It is also pretty much being run from my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/AlisonStaffordArt) so if you aren't on Facebook, or maybe not liked my page then you will be blissfully unaware of my plight! It is with this end that I urge each and every dog owner to check out my page, like it and take part in what I hope will become something that I can eventually publish in the form of a book. I have sold some of the originals to the owners of the dogs in question, but retained a high res image to use later, so although there is never an obligation to buy your dogs portrait, be assured that if you so wish, you can purchase it too! Enough said - this is 'J' for Japanese Akita, my future son-in-laws dog, and is currently hanging in his porch fending off bad spirits! 
Acrylic on canvas - 10x10"