First Dog

[HandyDave]

I've done several animals including birds and reptiles and fish. But haven't done a dog until now. I was asked if I could do a memorial piece for a guys Russian wolfhound. He sent me a few pics and I chose one I thought would translate good on leather. I told the guy I hadn't done a dog yet but was up for the challenge. I would also like some feedback from this group on your thoughts.

[PurpleBronc]

It looks kind of flat to me, like in the face is all smooth, instead of having the muscles in the face and the bone behind the eye defined as in the reference photo. The fur looks more like lines not fur. I think with the main edges and direction of fur defined, and then just a  hint in a few small patches would look a lot better. A modelling spoon works great for  doing muscles and fur.

Here's one of a stag I did a while ago, so you can get a bit of an idea what I mean. It's not perfect, by any means! Looking back, you always notice little things you should have done different.

Keep up the work,' Handy Dave' They say practice makes perfect!