Why watercolour suits Yorkshire terriers
The Yorkshire terrier has a coat of remarkable fineness — silky, straight, and in the characteristic blue and tan colouring that makes the breed immediately recognisable. In watercolour, that fine silky coat translates into something delicate and beautiful — the soft washes of cool blue and warm tan bleeding into each other in a way that captures the coat's specific quality far better than any medium that tries to render individual hairs.
The character of the Yorkshire terrier — enormous confidence and personality in a very small package, expressed through an expression of bright intelligence and mild contempt for any situation it doesn't immediately control — suits the watercolour medium's gentle quality in an interesting way. The contrast between the softness of the medium and the forcefulness of the personality creates a portrait that is both accurate and beautiful.
The blue and tan coat in watercolour
The characteristic blue and tan of the Yorkshire terrier coat is one of the most distinctive colour combinations in the dog world, and it translates into watercolour with particular beauty. The blue — a cool blue-grey that develops from birth and deepens with age — is rendered in cool washes that contrast with the warm tan of the face, chest, and legs. The soft transitions between the blue and tan areas, where the two colours blend in the medium, create a portrait of real colour sophistication.
Show-quality Yorkshire terriers, with the long, flowing coat parted down the centre of the back, produce particularly beautiful watercolour results — the long coat rendered as flowing washes of colour that suggest the coat's movement and texture.
The Yorkshire terrier expression in watercolour
Yorkshire terriers have an expression of absolute self-possession — bright, alert, and completely convinced of their own importance — that watercolour captures with a particular kind of warmth. The small, bright eyes — dark and sparkling — are the heart of any Yorkshire terrier portrait, and watercolour gives those eyes a luminosity that suits their character.
As a gift
Yorkshire terrier owners understand their dogs are exceptional. A watercolour portrait of their specific Yorkie — that coat, those eyes, that expression — is a gift that reflects that understanding back at them. Works for any occasion. Digital from $13 $10. Framed from $63 $51. Free worldwide shipping.