Paint A Golden Retriever: A Step-By-Step Guide

Golden retrievers are beloved by many, and it's no surprise that capturing their beauty through art is a popular endeavour. Painting a golden retriever can be a challenging task, especially when it comes to getting the colours just right. The fur of a golden retriever can range from a deep red to a pale, almost white golden colour, and artists have used a variety of colours to capture this, including burnt sienna, raw sienna, copper, cream, rose peach, sienna brown, beige, light umber, chocolate, goldenrod, and dark brown. The eyes can also be a challenge, as one artist, Imi, discovered when painting Annie the golden retriever. Imi had to study other photographs of Annie to truly capture her nutty brown eye colour.

Prepare your canvas and photo

To prepare your canvas and photo for painting a golden retriever, follow these steps:

First, select your canvas size. A standard size could be 30 x 40, but you can choose a different size depending on your preference and skill level. Once you have your canvas, mark it up with gridlines. For a 30 x 40 canvas, create 5cm x 5cm squares. This will help you accurately transfer your photo reference onto the canvas.

Next, choose a reference photo to work from. You can use a photo of your own or find one online or in other media. If using a photo from a screen, ensure your gridlines match the scaled dimensions of your canvas. You may need to crop or expand your photo to make the dog fit onto the canvas. For example, you might choose to leave out the paws to focus on the dog's body and face.

Now, transfer the image onto your canvas. You can do this by drawing the outline of your reference photo onto tracing paper and then using a pencil to trace it onto your canvas. Ensure your features are not too big, especially if you are working on a textured surface that may create thicker lines.

Before you begin painting, prepare your palette with the colours you will need. For a golden retriever, you will likely need shades of gold, brown, cream, and white. You may also need colours for the background, such as shades of green, burgundy, violet, and yellow.

Finally, gather your paintbrushes. You will need a large flat brush and a variety of small round brushes for detail work. With your canvas prepared, you are now ready to begin painting your golden retriever!

Outline the retriever

To outline the retriever, start by marking up your canvas. For a 30 x 40 canvas, squares of 5cm2 are easiest to work with. If you're gridding out a photo on a screen, ensure the scaled dimensions are the same. You may need to crop or expand your photo to make it fit the space.

Next, create a sketch that shows the details you want to draw and the placement of important features. Start with the eyes, as they are the trickiest part. You may need to study multiple photographs to get the eye colour right.

Then, transfer your sketch onto tracing paper with a white pastel stick. Use a pencil to trace out the drawing and transfer it to your board. Keep in mind that the velour surface will create thicker lines, so be careful not to paint the features too big.

Finally, start building up the layers of colour, working from light to dark. Use cream, rose peach, sienna brown, beige, light umber, chocolate, goldenrod, and dark brown. Mark the lightest areas with white. For darker areas, use light umber, chocolate, and dark brown.

Choose your colours

Golden retrievers come in a variety of golden tones, from deep red to pale, almost white. When choosing your colours, consider the tone of gold you want to capture.

For a reddish-orange coat, consider using burnt and raw sienna, and perhaps a copper colour. You can also add in some flesh tint, raw umber, white, and a touch of mars black to capture the subtle nuances of the fur.

If you're working with pastels, a combination of Rembrandt pastel sticks and Caran d'Ache pastel pencils in various shades and colours from golds to browns, creams, pale yellow, greys, and blues can be used. Layering these colours will help you achieve the desired effect, and remember to work from light to dark.

For a mid-range golden colour, you can use cream, rose peach, sienna brown, beige, light umber, chocolate, goldenrod, and dark brown. Start by marking the lightest areas with white, then build up layers with lighter colours, such as light umber, beige, peach, sand, and goldenrod. In the darker areas, use light umber, chocolate, and dark brown.

Don't forget to add touches of colour from your reference photo to capture the unique characteristics of your subject.

Paint the eyes

Painting the eyes of a golden retriever can be challenging, as one artist notes. It is important to get the eye colour right, so study reference photos to understand the exact shade of the eye. For example, a golden retriever's eye colour could be a nutty brown.

Start by drawing the eyes with a pencil, ensuring they are in the right place and the correct size. You can then begin to layer your paints, building up the colours from light to dark. Use a small brush to add fine hairs and highlights with a white paint mixture, such as Titanium White, over the eye area.

For a darker eye colour, use shades such as Dark Umber in the eye's dark areas, adding depth and shadow. For lighter eyes, use White in the highlighted areas to create depth, then layer with Beige and Sepia for a more subtle shadow.

You can also use pastel pencils in shades of grey and blue to add detail and depth to the eyes.

Add fine details

Now that you have the basic sketch and colours down, it's time to add the fine details. Start by adding fine hairs and highlights with a Brush & Pencil Titanium White Mixture. Apply this with a small brush over the areas blended with solvent.

To add whiskers, first use White, then go over them with the Titanium White mixture to make them pop. You can also add depth by using Dark Umber in the dark areas and then going over it again with the Titanium White mixture.

The eyes can be a challenge, so take your time and study reference photographs to get the colour right. You can also try converting the reference photo to black-and-white to compare values without colour distraction.

Finally, place your drawing in a comparison split photo to see how the colours look side-by-side. This will help you identify any areas that need adjustment.

Frequently asked questions