Bird Dog Portraits is a conservation-focused art project created by Matt Millbauer that celebrates the dogs at the center of the upland hunting tradition. The project specializes in hand-drawn digital portraits of hunting dogs—particularly flushing breeds such as Springers, Cockers, and Labs, but potentially any dog with a story worth telling. 

Rather than operating as a traditional commission-based art business, Bird Dog Portraits is built around the idea of giving back to the hunting and conservation community. Portraits are provided at no charge, with recipients encouraged to make donations directly to conservation organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, or other wildlife habitat groups. The goal is to connect hunters’ love for their dogs with tangible support for the landscapes and wildlife those dogs depend on.

At its core, Bird Dog Portraits is about storytelling. Every bird dog represents years of hunts, early mornings, muddy truck rides, missed shots, spectacular retrieves, and time spent with family and friends in the field. The artwork serves as a way to preserve those memories and honor dogs that are often much more than hunting partners—they are family members, teammates, and companions.

The project’s mission is simple: honor the dogs, tell their stories, and help conserve the places where those stories are made.

Matt and Bird Dog Portraits has been featured in RGS's Covers Magazine and heard on the Gun Dog It Yourself podcast, Bird Camp Radio, and the Go Flush Yourself podcast.

FAQs

Q: How do I get a portrait of my dog drawn?  
A: Message me several high quality images of your dog (preferably in different lighting).  That’s it!

Q: How much does it cost?
A: No payment is needed, however, a donation to your favorite conservation group is welcome! 

Q: If I send you pictures of my dog will I definitely get a portrait?  
A: No.  I don’t have a lot of bandwidth to create these, as they take time, but I will post any I do create. I can’t stress enough that I can’t promise that I’ll get to everyone. 

Q: I see my dog’s portrait on social media, can I get a hi-res image?  
A: If you want a high res version of your dog image, message me after I post your image.

Q: I wish I could buy a sticker or magnet with my dog’s portrait on it.  Is there a way I can do that?
A: Yes!  If you want your dog’s portrait in my store as a sticker and a magnet, let me know after I post your dog’s portrait on social media. I sell these at cost (no profit) to keep prices low for you.

Q: What is your store?
A: https://www.redbubble.com/people/bauermill/shop

Q: Does my dog HAVE to be a bird dog? 
A: While I prefer creating portraits of bird dogs because they are my favorite breeds, no, you can send me any dog (or animal for that matter).  However, I usually will do the bird dogs first, but not always!

Q: How do you create these?
A: I use an iPad and an Apple Pencil in Procreate to hand draw and paint these portraits.  I use a reference photo of your dog and other photos in different light to make sure I understand your dog’s coloring and markings.  If I just have one photo, the coloring may not be representative of your dog’s actual coloring and I may mistake their markings, so please send three or so pictures.

Q: How long does it take you to get a portrait done from start to finish?
A: It really depends on the portrait.  I have a huge backlog of requests and I pick the next one based on how much fun it looks to create, not always on when it came in. I usually have a bunch going and I work on them as I have time. So you may see periods where I have no new portraits come out and then times when I post a few a week.  When I publish multiple a week it’s because I had multiple going at the same time and had a few in the final stages at the same time.