Kobe: Custom Westie Dog Oil Painting

This 20x20 cm (8x8 inch) original oil painting captures the sweet and alert gaze of a Westie named Kobe, hand-painted on a studio-prepared wood panel.

Designing with Contrast and Character

I loved working on this portrait because painting white fur always provides a great technical challenge. The collector wanted to focus on a tight headshot crop to bring out as much facial detail as possible. To make Kobe's bright white coat stand out, we decided to skip the original blanket background and go with a highly contrasting, deep teal backdrop. I used large, bold strokes of pink and soft coral on the right side of the canvas to create a modern, color-blocked feel that enhances the lighting of the portrait.

When painting a white coat, I never use flat white. Instead, I built up the volume of his fluffy fur by layering subtle mint greens, soft lavenders, and pastel yellows into the highlights and shadows. During the painting process, I noticed an adorable detail that makes Kobe completely unique—his cute, heart-shaped black nose, which I made sure to emphasize as a key feature. This custom heirloom is finished with a protective varnish and acts as a bright, joyful tribute designed to bring a burst of life to any space.

Why I love this commission

• High-Contrast Color Blocking: The split background of deep teal and soft pink creates a beautiful visual vibration against the light fur.
• Nuanced White Fur Detail: I used a wide spectrum of unexpected pastels to give the Westie coat a sense of three-dimensional depth and softness.
• Heart-Shaped Nose Feature: Extra care was taken to capture the sweet, unique shape of Kobe's wet nose, preserving his exact character.
• Chunky Impasto Strokes: Thick layers of professional oil paint provide a beautiful, physical texture across the surface of the wood panel.

Technical Details

• Original Oil painting by Alai Ganuza
• 20x20 cm (8x8 inches)
• Handmade prepared wood panel
• Certificate of Authenticity (COA) included
• Worldwide tracked and insured shipping via FedEx