Need black lab help. This is the practice piece and I used [View all]

another dog as the pose model. Aside from unfunhousing the nose, working on the mouth, and making the eyes bigger, how do I make this one more like Maggie in the snaps below?

Also, another friend suggested painting on a page of 11x15, but I only have Strathmore pulp in that size. I have Arches cotton in 9x12 hot and cold 140, and also 300 cp. Would you do this on cheap paper just to get the size?

She was a sweet girl. Used to walk my boys home from the school bus drop off, then I had to walk _her_ home because she wasn't supposed to follow them LOL