August 26 marked an auspicious occasion: National Dog Day!

‘Tis a joyous day, one for us to celebrate the pups and paws that fill our homes with companionship and our hearts with laughter.

Experience designer Jie Tang decided to add a little artistic flair to her day’s festivities by creating avatars… for dogs!

Here’s how Jie cartoonified some the most familiar puppy faces in a dog-lover’s world:

The process began with browsing the net for reference photos, and then sketching a rough draft of each avatar on paper, which were then be scanned into .jpg files to edit in Adobe Illustrator.

Jie traced over the sketches using a digital drawing tablet, refining the iterations, and twisting every line, curve, and shape hundreds of times.

She also put careful thought into selecting which kinds of dogs to sketch, watching pet videos and studying photos to help distinguish her favorite breeds.

“Each dog has a strong personality,” she says. “Frenchie, I’m a big fan of his look -- like a fat bunny with a pig nose!”

All four of her avatars made for some charismatic canines:

Frenchie, the French Bulldog.

This silly dog is most likely to be found drinking out of the toilet, chasing his own tail, or spaced out and staring at you from the edge of your bed. Despite it all, he’s still a good boy and the star of your Instagram account.

Bueller, the Black Lab.

This playful pup is always ready for a game of fetch, and will scare your neighbor’s kids until they come to learn that he’s harmless, and love him almost as much as you do. He also knows lots of cool tricks -- like balancing treats on his nose..

Penny, the Pug.

Penny is a petite yet philosophical pooch. She’s well-read, even though dogs can’t read (allegedly). Her somber eyes light up to welcome you home after a long day at work. If you ever feel like you’re in the middle of an existential crisis, this furry quadruped is probably right there with you.

Corn, the Corgie.

This little one has spunk, and she knows it. Cultural adoration for this poofy floof (floof? Is that a word?) has spread across the internet in recent years, and rightfully so. What’s not to love? She’s feisty and as yellow as buttered corn.

Release the hounds!

If you enjoy these avatars as much as we do, download them all here. :)

Many thanks to Jie Tang for her creative abstractions of some of the most beloved friends known to humankind. We can’t wait to see what she comes up with next month for National Cat Day!