The Best in show: My top 5 favorite dog designs

As a member of Team Inked, I’ve come across a lot of different designs and arts! While there are so many (almost countless) great designs listed on our site, the designs that I’m always impressed with are those that feature dogs. I’m an animal lover at heart, and whenever I see an animal design printed on a playmat, dice bag, mousepad, etc., I immediately add it to my list of likes. Specifically dogs and cats. That’s why this week, I’m setting up my own little best in show competition and listing my top 5 favorite K-9 designs in this blog post!

Again, I think all of our animal/dog arts are great, but these are the few that I really enjoyed from the moment I saw them. After you’ve seen my top picks, I’d like to know yours as well. So, feel free to leave me your list or favorite in the comments once read through this post.

Let the show begin!

5. Dog A

I love Jessica Feinberg’s Dog A design because it is both unique and extremely detailed. If you look close enough, you will see that there is not a gear out of place, and each part has a purpose in making up the dog’s mechanical anatomy. It’s not every day that you see a dog designed like this, which is why it makes my list. That, and the fact that I am a fan of any design, pattern or art that features gears and mechanical/robotic elements. Overall, I think this design is VERY well made and thought out. It takes a lot of patience, passion and attention to detail to make a design like this come to life, and I think Jessica Feinberg nailed it with Dog A!

Extra Note: If you like Jessica’s Dog A, you will like her Dog B design as well. 

4. A Barrel of Fun

Cute dogs and cool dragons! How can you go wrong, right? Kari-Ann Anderson’s Barrel of Fun design is vibrant, colorful, creative and loveable all in the same breath. In fact, the first time I saw it, I missed a few key details that I didn’t notice until the next time I came across it on the site. That’s the kind of art that I appreciate as well. Art that continues to impress and surprise each time you look at it. Like a gift that just keeps on giving. I think that the little dragons are a nice touch as well, and really give this design a more cute and playful vibe overall. You can tell that the artist had fun with this one!

3. The Shiba and The Fox

If anyone can make dogs (and other creatures) come to life in the coolest and cutest way possible, it’s Colordrilos! This Shiba and The Fox design features a great use of colors and imagination, which really make this elegant piece stand out among the other arts in Colordilos’ awesome body of work. This is another example of a design that you don’t see every day, and the fact that it has the power to make a lasting impression on who ever looks at it is the key reason why it makes my list. And let’s face it, these two are probably the best dressed of the bunch!

2. Warrior Corgi

I told you Colordrilos was the best at making cute creatures look cool and this Warrior Corgi design definitely proves it! Just like their previous designs, this Warrior Corgi shows us something that is totally unique and has a way of sticking with you long after the first time you see it. I especially like the attention to detail on the flag, which has the paws and the crossbones on it. Very clever. Overall, I think this sword-wielding Warrior Corgi channels a bold and brave personality, much like it’s creator, and that’s why I have is listed as my #2 on this best in show list!

1. Road to Valhalla

Coming at #1 is another Kari-Ann Anderson’s masterpiece...Road to Valhalla! This design takes its place in my top spot because there’s just something so peaceful and breathtaking about it that makes me feel as if I’m right there in the snow with the wolf, just looking out on the castle or kingdom that seems so close, and yet so far away. So, it’s not only Anderson’s art and attention to detail that seems to consistently capture me, but the feeling that it channels every time that I look at it. 

It also helps that her wolf is illustrated to look powerful and so innocent at the same time. 

The calm, comfortable nature of Anderson’s wolf makes me feel as if they are both predator and prey, and that’s one of the key reasons why this beautiful design makes it to the top of my best in show list!

So, what are your favorite K-9 designs from our site? Let me know in the comments below! Also, I’m considering doing one of these for other creatures as well, like cats, otters and perhaps even dragons! It all depends on how this post is received first though, so if you enjoyed it be sure to leave me a message and keep an eye on our blog page as well for more fun listicles. With so many awesome arts and designs, the possibilities are endless!

Until we meet again,

Vince the Prince