I’m so glad I actually managed to take some photos of my most recent event, and not just of my stall this time. A pet shop fun day for pet loving people This market seemed to be made for me, what with it being set at a pet shop and all. When I arrived I…
On Sunday August 2nd, I was at the Hockley Summer Fayre, an event that almost didn’t happen until some kind souls stepped in and saved the day. Hockley based artist specialising in pet portraits I love doing local events as there’s no worries about getting stuck in traffic and if you forget anything you can…
For this portrait I was given such a fun reference photo and I’m immensely pleased with how the finished painting turned out. Small dog, big personality Max looks so delighted to be sat at the table with his family and I wanted to capture that joy. The part I thought I would find most…
I was invited along to the Chalkwell dog show at the weekend to draw quick mini sketches for visitors, and whilst I had an amazing time, my first outdoor event certainly taught me a LOT. Quick dog drawings The organiser had spent years looking for an artist who could offer a ‘live’ portrait service and…
Did you know I can combine different reference images in one portrait? Its handy for when you don’t have a photograph of your pets perfectly posed together, but would still like them to be with each other in their drawing or painting. Group portraits like this start with figuring out the best composition and resizing…
I did a back-to-back market weekend, starting July 4th at Canewdon dog show. Dogs and art, the perfect combination As you can probably tell by how many dogs I draw, both for myself and clients, this kind of event is my happy place. It wasn’t planned, but the spot I chose just so happened to…
When I was asked to paint this handsome chap I could tell that Lenny would love a bright, colourful base – sometimes the portrait just tells me what it wants and I’m happy to listen! I also tried stylising the background to suggest the folds and shadows of the sofa he was resting on and…
On June 14th I had my own stall at the Trinity Fair in Rayleigh. Pet portrait artist local to Rayleigh, Essex This is one of my favourite shows to be a part of, even if I rarely get a chance to actually explore the event since I’m happily chatting away with visitors all day. Luckily…
This little kitty is an example of my A5 quick portraits, she was completed using coloured pencils on smooth Bristol board as I was keen to capture the softness of her beautiful coat. Perfect gift for a cat lover This drawing was a gift for my client’s mum and I picked this composition out of…
On Sunday I had a stall at the Little Loves Fayre in Rayleigh. I arrived early so I had time to wander around the Mount and snap some photos of the beautiful wildlife – a squirrel watched me from a tree and there were plenty of bugs buzzing around the flowers. Its always nice to…
My blog is now 15 years old, can you believe it? Back in May 2011 I put up my first post and although I’ve taken a few breaks I’m so glad I decided to give it a go all those years ago. I’m proud of how far this little business of mine has come, and…
Pet portraits make truly personal presents This drawing was commissioned by my friend as a surprise Christmas present for Geoffrey’s owner. Naturally, I was more than happy to help with this sweet gift idea! I heard that she was very happy with the drawing when she saw it, which is always nice to hear. Now…
Feels like I only just started, but my time at the windmill, at least for this year, is already over. Here are some of my favourite pictures from the last couple of weeks. Rayleigh’s iconic windmill I wanted to take a photo each time I was on my way into the windmill, experimenting with different…
Meet the fabulous Ziggy and Domino! I had the pleasure of creating their portraits as part of an ongoing project for my amazing client – soon the wall will be filled with her cats from over the years, isn’t that wonderful?? First up was Ziggy who has the most stunning eyes that are super expressive….
As you may know, I have my own studio space at the Rayleigh Windmill this month. Now that I’ve reached the halfway point of my stay, I thought I’d share a few photos I took over the last couple of weeks. I brought some things from my home studio to make the place feel more…
On April 11th I had a stall at the ‘Vintage & Makers Market’ in Chelmsford to promote my pet portrait services, here’s how my table looked before and after the show started: I didn’t take a lot of photos during the day since I spent most of it chatting with everyone who came by, however…
On April 4th I had a stall at a local Easter market. First things first, I had to iron my hand-painted tablecloth that had sat unused for far too long, then pack everything except the kitchen sink into my suitcase. It wasn’t a long drive since I live pretty close by. It was quite nostalgic…
Another one for all the spaniel lovers out there! I do love painting smiley faces, I find myself smiling back at them as I work. My beautiful model for this portrait was young Shelby and I played around with quite a few background colours until I landed on this rich brown tone to compliment his…
I was lucky enough to be sent quite a few reference photos of this photogenic little lady and, after choosing my favourite, I pulled out my pencils and got to drawing those iconic spaniel curls. As you can see, I tested out a wide range of colours until I found the perfect match for her…
Remember my portrait of the handsome Chip? Well, I was delighted to be given the opportunity to create another piece for the same client, and this time it was a group portrait. These three kitties’ names are Izzy, Millie and Mable, aren’t they beautiful? We went through a few composition options to find a layout…
