Drawing Dogs

El siguiente texto es un extracto del libro Drawing Dogs: Simple method to capture character, proportion, and movement (ISBN: 9781646997497) Conocerlo, entenderlo, interpretarlo y ayudarlo, escrito por R. Fabbretti, publicado por de Vecchi /DVE ediciones.

Foreword

Considered man’s best friend, the dog has been drawn by painters of all times. Interest in this animal is still very much alive today, and proof of this is the privileged place it occupies in television series and commercials.

A good number of works from the past testify to its presence in the arts, as for example in St. Augustine in his study, by Vittore Carpaccio. This Renaissance painting presents, lower left, as a counterpoint to the whole scene, a spitz seated contemplating the saint.

Apparently, the illustrious Michelangelo also had a dog of this breed, and considering that these two artists lived at the same time, it can be deduced that this was a fairly common breed in central and northern Italy.

Paintings from the FOURTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES often show greyhounds accompanying members of high society, which suggests that this breed was an external symbol of wealth in European courts. Anecdotes of this type also allow us to establish the diffusion of other breeds in different countries and in different historical contexts.

There are many artists who have drawn dogs, not so much as the main subject, but accompanying the protagonist of the work. An example of this is the Selfportrait with black dog by Gustave Courbet, or the work Dalí nude in contemplation, where the painter is seen accompanied by a dog. But it was around the EIGHTEENTH century when the dog became a hunting hero in painting. The naturalist painter Éugène Petit, famous for his hunting scenes, provides us with an excellent example by reproducing dogs with extreme realism and great detail, generally at the crucial moment of the hunt, when they show the prey.

Few animals present, as the dog, such a great variety of breeds with so many differences from the morphological point of view. In this book, dedicated exclusively to dogs, you will find a German Shepherd drawn in different positions and under different angles, which will be the main model for the exercises, as well as other breeds selected from among the most common.

Drawing Dogs

Of all the animals depicted in art, dogs are undoubtedly among the most expressive and endearing subjects for artists throughout the ages.

Loyal companions of humankind since prehistoric times, they have inspired painters and sculptors with their intelligence, devotion, and character, qualities that transcend breed or appearance.

From ancient Egyptian tombs to Renaissance portraits, dogs have symbolized fidelity, courage, and affection. In countless masterpieces, they sit quietly at their master’s feet or run playfully through pastoral scenes, bearing witness to the intimate bond between humans and animals. Think of the noble hounds that accompany princes in the hunting scenes of Veronese or Titian, or the small lapdogs immortalized in the refined interiors of Velázquez, Goya, or Fragonard.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the rise of animal portraiture brought a new sensibility. Artists such as George Stubbs, Edwin Landseer, and Jean-Baptiste Oudry captured with astonishing realism not only the anatomy of dogs but also their temperament and emotion — the proud stance of a greyhound, the watchful gaze of a shepherd, or the mischievous playfulness of a terrier.

With the invention of photography, artists began to observe movement and expression even more closely. The spontaneous gestures of dogs in motion — running, jumping, sleeping, or playing — became a fertile source of inspiration for painters and illustrators. Later, Impressionists and Modernists, from Renoir to Picasso, continued to find in dogs both a faithful companion and a mirror of human feeling.

Even today, dogs remain symbols of loyalty, energy, and joy. In comics, illustration, and contemporary art, they continue to embody friendship and spirit. To draw them well is to understand their anatomy, but above all, to capture their individual soul and expressive vitality.

This book invites you to observe and practise through a variety of sketches, each showing dogs in different positions and moods — sitting, running, playing, or resting. By copying and studying these drawings, you will learn not only proportions and movement but also how to convey the unique charm and personality that make dogs such captivating models in art.

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