“This piece was a beautiful subject to draw. This is also a very popular print piece, and I think a large part of this is due to the excellent composition of the reference photograph used. I was immediately attracted to drawing this photo, with that intense glare causing an appealing yet slightly unsettling demeanour. A huge thank you to Chris Boulton Photography for allowing me to use his wonderful photograph.”
“This piece is one of my most popular print sellers. I am always very excited at the prospect of creating a piece involving an animal with their offspring. The bond between mother and cub is clear to see, which I feel adds another layer of depth to this composition.”
“This was the second drawing in a series created for a new-born's nursery. I feel this piece emits a strong feeling of protection from mother to cub, intended to represent that of a new-born and parent. A big thank you to Matti Saranpää for use of his beautiful photograph.”
“This piece was drawn in preparation for a new-born’s arrival, with the mother and baby cygnet giving a perfect representation of a new-born’s bond with its mother. This piece was placed alongside another two mother and baby drawings in the baby’s nursery. Another beautiful reference photograph, taken by the very talented Ursula Dubrick - Thank you.”
“This subject was quite a different challenge to the animals I have previously drawn, particularly due to the fact that there was no fur to draw! I found it particularly challenging to accurately capture the texture and tonal qualities, being so different to the furry creatures I am used to! A big thank you to Art for use of this wonderful photograph.”
“I always look most forward to portraying my subject’s eyes in a piece, as I feel this is one of the most important parts to achieve accurately. I believe this gives my subject the unique personality I look to achieve in all of my drawings. This piece in particular seems more powerful due to the personality held behind the eyes. It was very important to get them just right, in order for me to successfully complete this drawing.”
“I was able to capture this inquisitive little face at a local wildlife trust. I find meerkats particularly intriguing creatures, with so much character to capture. This particular meerkat spent most of the time I was with him being the nominated sentry, looking out for potential predators while the rest of his group were foraging for food or lying in the sun!”
“I was able to see this powerful creature at Port Lympne Safari Park, a wonderful Wildlife and Safari Park based in Kent. The zoo homes over 700 rare and endangered animals, including a wonderful array of big cats such as this. I spent a long time studying and photographing this particular Tiger when visiting the Park, in order to portray the accuracy of character and nature of this animal. He does look particularly fierce in this piece, but was in fact yawning rather than bearing his teeth, which makes the piece slightly less sinister!”
“These wonderful creatures are 2 residents of Howletts Wildlife Park. This Wildlife Park is part of the internationally renowned animal conservation charity ‘The Aspinall Foundation’ that works in conjunction with Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks in Kent. I am lucky enough to have visited both parks a number of times, and the animals housed at both zoos have given me great inspiration for a number of my drawings.”
“This family of elephants were spotted on Safari in Sri Lanka, and luckily enough I was commissioned to then draw the gorgeous photo which my customers managed to capture. The perfect formation of the family of 3 makes this piece very special.”
“This piece was a rather unusual piece for me to complete, as I am so used to creating more textured surfaces compared to the smooth patterning of this creature. It was lovely to have a new challenge. I created this piece to enter into a local horticultural show art exhibition, and he won me first prize which was an added bonus to creating this lovely piece!”
“This drawing was completed for an Easter commission, and was one of my most exciting commissions due to this particular rabbit being, in fact, my own pet, ‘Ralph’. I feel that because of knowing him so well, I was able to portray his character in my drawing more easily. He certainly is a character, and is often hopping around me whilst I work!”
“Giraffes are one of my all time favourite animals. They are such inquisitive and gentle creatures, despite their size. However, they are very challenging to capture due to their unusual proportions, so this commission was particularly testing to complete successfully without making the creature look disproportionate. A big thank you to Escapography for use of your photograph.”
“I have been lucky enough to visit Eagle Heights a number of times, a beautiful Bird of Prey centre and Wildlife Sanctuary based in Kent. As well as being home to many stunning Birds of Prey, they also house a great deal of other animals, including Huskies. This is a member of their Husky pack, who made a beautiful subject to draw.”
“This gorgeous Chocolate Labrador, Casey, made a particularly cute subject to draw. Many people commission puppy portraits in order to have a keepsake before their pet is soon no longer a puppy!”
“I have been lucky enough to visit Eagle Heights a number of times, a beautiful Bird of Prey centre and Wildlife Sanctuary based in Kent. It is home to many stunning Birds of Prey, including this Barn Owl. This was, in fact, the first ever animal portrait I sold, and still remains one of my most popular print sellers.”
“Leo’s pet portrait, a gorgeous French Bulldog, was given as a gift to his owner for a birthday present. Many of my drawings are commissioned as gifts, and I’ve been so lucky to have some lovely responses from owners once they have received their surprise.”
“The reference photo used is another beautiful photograph taken by the talented Chris Boulton Photography. Big cats have always been one of my favourite subjects to draw, and this cheetah was no exception.”
“I was very excited to receive my first commission of a horse. They are notoriously hard to capture accurately, and I was looking forward to the challenge. Having this gorgeous photograph taken by ‘Lizzymint Photography’ helped a great deal with the process, and I thoroughly enjoyed this project.”
“It was lovely to have the challenge of creating another Owl piece. I completed this piece at the end of 2018, and the first ever commission I sold was my Barn Owl in 2014. To revisit the challenges of drawing an Owl four years later was such a lovely task. This amazing reference photo was taken by the very talented Ian Howells; thank you so much for allowing me use of your work.”
“Lola, a beautiful Black Labrador, makes a lovely pet portrait. I am lucky enough to know Lola well, which always helps me to capture an animal’s personality in my drawing.”
“Roxy the Rottweiler was a Christmas gift commission and was a pleasure to draw. The amount of pet commissions I receive always increases around the Christmas period, as many people like to give them as personalised gifts to family and friends.”
“I have been lucky enough to have drawn quite a few pug pet portraits, including this lovely face, Sucki! This particular breed of dog always has so much character, which I thoroughly enjoy capturing.”
“This piece was another commission I was very excited to begin, as it was another opportunity to develop my skills within the equine sector of art. Horses are notoriously difficult to capture accurately, and this piece was no exception! However, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.”
“Fudge’s portrait was a pleasure to complete. It was a challenge to try and create the depth of his fur, with his coat being light in colour as well as curly. However, by using some slightly different techniques, I was pleased with the overall results. I am always asked by concerned customers whether it is possible to draw their pet’s white fur. It absolutely is - it just requires a slightly different approach.”
“Marley, a gorgeous Poodle Cross Shih Tzu, was a very memorable pet portrait for me to complete. I was lucky enough to receive a lovely response from Marley himself! Have a quick look here to see Marley posing with his portrait!”
“Bill, a gorgeous Jack Russell, makes a very cute pet portrait! The challenge with this piece was to accurately portray him standing in the snow, without making his surroundings look unrealistic. A beautiful commission to complete.”
“Marley was a lovely cat portrait I had the pleasure of drawing, given as a surprise gift to his owner.”
“Ruby made a gorgeous pet portrait, and gives her lovely owner a keepsake memory of her forever. She was a pleasure to draw.”
“This beautiful Cat portrait was commissioned as a gift. The thought of creating a drawing as a surprise for someone is always very exciting, and I always look forward to hearing about their reaction to the piece.”
“Cleo makes a gorgeous pet portrait. Black animals are always a challenge to complete, however using the right light to capture the animal helps with the accuracy of tone when completing the drawing.”