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Samoyed

Samoyed line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Samoyed full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Samoyed was completed on 2.4.2012. Usually, when I start to draw a white animal, I assume it will go rather quickly and I'll be done in a few hours. This was not the case here. I started with an excellent reference photo by Marni Bellavia (check out her website here) but soon realized I wasn't capturing the spirit of this wonderful dog. I rarely revamp a drawing, but for the Samoyed I was forced to go back and redo several elements; the ears were redraws, the outer edges of the coat and the coloration of the entire dog. I believe this resulted in a much stronger drawing.

Information about the Samoyed:

The Samoyed dog takes it's name from the Samoyedic peoples of Siberia, who are nomadic reindeer herders. These hardy people bred these distinctive white dogs to help with the herding and to pull sleds in the thick snow. These dogs are also sometimes called Bjelkier, especially in Europe. The males usually weigh about 51–66 pounds (23–30 kilograms) with the females being somewhat smaller. They have very lovely eyes, usually almond shape and black/brown in coloration - which stand out dramatically from their fluffy white coats - which are double-layered to protect them from the bitter cold of their native Siberia. While the friendly temperament of Samoyeds make them less than ideal guard dogs, it does make them excellent pets. Although when playing with children, the dogs instincts will kick in and they will attempt to herd them. Like other purebred dogs, they are susceptible to a variety of illnesses. They are fairly long lived though, usually reaching ages of 12-15 years old.