Interview with a Pet Portrait Artist!
Posted by Erik McManus on
Do you love your pets? How much do you love them? Enough to get a portrait done of them? In that case, you should meet Brittany!
We sat down with Brittany from B Thrasher Studio and talked to her about her pet portrait art that she turned into a small side hustle! She was great and here is our interview with her!
First off, tell us a little bit about yourself!
Here are some fun facts about me:
- I was born and raised in the Ottawa Valley, and I absolutely love living here.
- Growing up we always had pet cats, and I would often draw them.
- I am a self-taught artist for the most part, but I did take art throughout high school.
- When I’m not making art I’m usually being active outdoors either hiking, biking, or kayaking in the summer or snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.
How did you start doing your pet portraits?
I made a facebook page and Instagram account just this past January to start selling my artwork as a side gig. I didn’t really know where to start so I just invited everyone on my friends list to like my page. I posted some photos of artworks that I had done recently, which included portraits of my two cats dressed up in old-timey clothing – Flynn with a monocle, tie, and top hat and Audie wearing a bowler hat and bow tie.
(Above portrait of Flynn)
People seemed to really like them and started asking me for portraits of their own pets. I never really set out to be a pet portrait artist, I just happened to fall into that category based off of what people liked and wanted! I have a lot of fun painting people’s adorable pets though, so I’m quite content with how things worked out!
Do you have any pets of your own?
I have two tabby cats that are brothers, named Audie and Flynn. They were adopted together from the Ontario SPCA Renfrew County Animal Centre when they were a few months old. They are now 3 years old and the absolute best boys! I am a huge advocate for pet adoption and donate 10% of proceeds from each pet portrait to my local animal shelter, which I also used to volunteer at.
Do you take requests from clients or come up with creative ideas on your own?
Every client is different. Some people give me a general idea and let me run with it. Others know specifically what they want. Either way, I always get them to send me a bunch of photos so I can use them for reference. The more photos the better – you can never send me too many pics of your cute pet! I like having lots to choose from, but in the end I usually only work from 1 or 2. I always send the client a sketch to make sure they’re happy with it before I start painting.
What formats do you do (paintings, drawings etc)?
I dabble in all sorts of different art formats, as I love trying new mediums and techniques. Currently, I take commissions for paintings in either watercolour or acrylic as those are the two mediums I am most confident in. I typically use heavyweight watercolour paper for my paintings because it’s nice to work with and easy for the client to frame the finished piece.
Do you have any specific animals you enjoy drawing more than others?
CATS! I absolutely love drawing and painting cats, they are hands down my favourite. I have definitely painted more cats than anything else by far.
Where can we find you?
Find me on Instagram @bthrasherstudio or my facebook page by the same name: https://www.facebook.com/bthrasherstudio
How can someone get a pet portrait done by you?
Send me a message through facebook or Instagram! Start looking through photos of your pet, because I’m going to need lots.
And that was our interview with the amazing artist Brittany! Definitely go check out her pages and maybe get a commission from her to put up on your walls! Plus she donates 10% of the proceeds to an animal shelter so its helping out a great cause at the same time and you know we are here for that!