Pencil Paws Blogs

This drawing is very special to me as it is of my two rescue cats who unfortunately had a very bad start in life. At the time we were living in the Philippines where animal welfare is sadly not in a very good state. My husband was out jogging and hea... 

In Qatar we have a serious issue with cat over-population, it causes all sorts of problems because a lot of people aren’t cat lovers to start with, plus when the cats aren’t fixed (neutered/spayed) the behaviour associated with mating (yowling an... 

After over 20 years living abroad, I am finally returning to live in my home town of Dorset. A lot of my time overseas has been spent in the Middle East - Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and now Kuwait. It seems somehow fitting, that my final commissio... 

This is a new piece that I have been working on for a few weeks. All the basics are now in place, onto my favourite part which is adding the detail and trying to get it to "pop"! I love this breed of dog, unfortunately so do also a lot of people... 

My latest Pet Portrait is a cute Himalayan called Teddy. Teddy belongs to a friend of mine and I did this portrait as a surprise leaving present for her; she had been living in Kuwait and was moving back to good old Blighty. Teddy had a sad story... 

At the moment we are living in Kuwait, where there are sadly never ending problems with stray animals, dumped animals and cruelty cases. It is very sad and makes you feel so helpless in the face of the enormity of the situation, it will unfortunately... 

This adorable little monkey I photographed in Baguio in the Philippines. Unfortunately he was being kept as a pet and was on a long chain tied to the post that he is clinging to. At the time, Baguio was hosting a garden show/competition and somebody ... 

“Animals do have a voice. If you ignore their suffering, I will remind you of it. If you don’t understand them, I will translate. If you don’t hear them, I will be their voice. You may silence them but you cannot silence me as long as I live.” ~ Anit... 

Normally I work in graphite and charcoal, however my first real taste of the art world as an adult, was with pastel. In 1997 I moved with my husband to Abu Dhabi. As an expat wife you are suddenly thrown into a whole new environment, your daily r... 

In Kuwait the predominate way of controlling the over population of streets cats is to poison them, shocking in this day and age considering the well documented alternatives. TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) is the humane and effective approach for stray an... 

Very happy, Noble One won 3rd prize in the Black and White competition. 

A new project. I just love the gentle expression in her eyes but at the same time she looks just a little condescending. I think she has every reason to look superior.  

This is the initial sketch of this handsome white tiger. I photographed him in Singapore zoo and have been wanting to work on this piece ever since. Singapore zoo is one of my favourite places to take photographs of wildlife, even though it uses th... 

We have just moved from Dubai to Kuwait. All my art equipment is on the ship on its way, I will be able to take pet portrait commissions again from the end of October.  

So we have spent a long time getting good photos, the artist (me) has spent hours (read weeks) drawing the portrait, but how do you frame it! Here are some tips to help guide you. It might be tempting to simply place your drawing in a ready-made... 

My drawings are a combination of my love for animals and art. As a child I was my happiest at the local stables and walking the neighbours dogs. Those same dogs were also very patient models as I practiced my drawing skills. On leaving school...