Latest Pet Portraits - Hot Off The Easel!
Welcome to our 'latest pet portraits' page - hot off the easel! We arent on social media so we thought we would showcase an ongoing selection of our drawings and paintings and update as often as we can. We are always busy in the studio, so hopefully we will be able to posts our latest work. If you would like to read a monthly round up of whats been happening in our pet portraits studio pop over to our monthly blog.
Max - August 2024
The oil painting of Max was commissioned by a lovely client Alyssa in Australia. Max sadly passed away at the age of 16 and Alyssa missed him dearly. Nicholas was truly honored to be able to create a an oil portrait of Max. Alyssa chose to have a 16 x 12 oil painting on canvas and messaged us via WhatsApp when she saw the final photos of the painting which you can read below.
"I am just speechless at how lifelike the painting is! Every detail is just perfect. It's absolutely beautiful, and I can not thank the two of you enough. Very, very excited to see it in person! I showed my mum the photos as well! She had this to say: "Oh my god, that is unbelievable! I feel like I'm looking right at him. Actually feeling emotional Amazing artist". Thank you again Melanie and Nicholas"
— Alyssa McDonald
Gabby - August 2024
Sonny got in touch with us this year as he wanted to commission an oil painting of his dog Gabby. Sonny has been following our website and blog since Gabby was 10. She is now 13 and in good health. The family felt that this was the perfect time to get good photos of her and have a portrait painted. Sonny wanted the painting to be of Gabby with her favourite 'Lamb Chop' toy. We hope you like the painting!
"This portrait is wonderful!! Nicholas is amazing. No alterations needed. Thank you so much. I am so excited!"
— Sonny Mazzolini
Kipper - August 2024
Mike was a returning client who commissioned me to draw a portrait of Storm a few years ago. This time I was delighted to draw a portrait of his new dog Kipper. Absolutely gorgeous photos. The portrait was a 12 x 10 which was the perfect size for him. I hope you like the drawing below.
"What a lovely image you have produced of Kipper. We are very happy with the portrait and would not want you to alter anything....
Kipper arrived safe and well on Friday, what a brilliant job you have done and everyone is admiring the portrait."
— Mick Wileman
Hettie and Loxley - July 2024
John from Jersey got in touch as he wanted to commission a 20 x 16 pencil drawing of his dogs, Border Terrier and a Lurcher, Hettie and Loxley. Sadly Hettie passed away earlier this year, so wanted a drawing of them both together. The commission was a complete surprise for all of his family, not an easy secret to keep!
"That’s brilliant. I am beyond excited.
Well, they loved it! It’s a great day, we have opened some fizz!"
— John Bowley
Milo - June 2024
John Nettles contacted us earlier this year to commission an oil painting of his granddaughters spaniel called Milo. You can read about the commission and how it all unfolded on Milo's dedicated page here - Oil Painting for John Nettles.
"Dear Melanie and Nicholas.
The portrait of Milo is absolutely wonderful! The little fellow to the life! I cannot thank you enough for it.
Kindest regards
John N"
— John Nettles
Maska - March 2024
Rachael contacted us to commission a 24 x 18 oil painting of her horse Maska. The photos showed Maska in a very elegant and graceful way. We kept the painting overall quite light to give an almost ethereal feel. We hope you like it!
"Hi Melanie! The portrait is incredible. Thank you so much for the video and photos! I am blown away. No changes to suggest, it’s just perfect. I’m so grateful to you both."
— Rachael Spengler
Elmo - Feb 2024
David emailed us in 2023, enquiring about either an oil painting or a pencil drawing of his wifes favourite horse. After chatting about the commission David opted for an oil painting at 18 x 14 size, which is the perfect size for a horse head study. When the painting was complete, David and his wife Caroline visited our studio to collect the painting. this is quite unusual these days, since Covid people rarely visit anymore, plus of course the majority of our work is commissioned from overseas. So it was really lovely to meet our clients. You can see a photo of them with the portrait in our studio below.
"It was lovely to meet you both last weekend. I keep walking past Elmo’s portrait and stopping to enjoy the skill taken to create it. For some reason it looks even better here than it did in your studio. I think because the light and natural light here is warmer. I’m so glad I quit illustration and had an earlier career in graphics as I would never have been able to attain this level of competence, it’s outstanding. Caroline I’m sure will message you separately on our behalf but I just wanted to send my personal thank you too. All the best David."
— David Waddams
Khona - Feb 2024
Joshua messaged via Whatsapp in late 2023 to commission an 18 x 14 portrait of their family dog Khona for his wifes birthday. He wanted a montage style portrait which showed Khona as a puppy, slightly older and then as an adult. If you scroll down you can see a photo of Khona with his drawing.
"Thank you, it's perfect and exactly what I wanted. I cant wait to receive the drawing."
— Joshua Delpolito
Mollie - February 2024
Dan contacted me to ask if i would be able to draw their cocker spaniel Mollie as a birthday gift for his wife Louise. It was a tight deadline but I was absolutely delighted to be able to complete the drawing and get it to Dan on time. The portrait was framed by their local framer and presented to Dan's wife. You can see a photo of Mollie, the portrait along with Louise too!
"Absolutely Perfect. I love it. Thank you so much. It catches the look she gives us so often. Cant wait to give it to Louise."
— Dan Newman
Hugo - January 2024
Marissa from Australia contacted my to ask if I would be able to create a portrait of her dearly loved but sadly departed dog called Hugo. The photos of Hugo were beautiful and his face has such character. I very much enjoyed drawing him as the 12 x 10 size, which was perfect for Hugo. Marissa sent a lovely message when she received the drawing, which you can read below.
"I received your drawing yesterday ad its absolutely beautiful. I cant thank you enough. Now i just need to find a very special place for him in my home! Thanks again for your beautiful work."
— Marissa
Tilly - December 2023
Gill contact us to commission an oil painting of her daughters horse Tilly, for a 21st birthday. We were absolutely delighted to be able to paint Tilly for Gill and her daughter Catherine. The painting was an 18 x 14 head study. This is a really good size for a head, allowing for plenty of detail. We hope you like the photos, including one with Catherine, Tilly and her portrait.
"I have just shown her the picture and she loves it thanks .... awesome is her reply, thats just Tilly! xxxx"
— Gill
Sam - November 2023
Michael and his wife asked if he could commission two pencil drawings of his beautiful dog Sam. Michael sent this opening email -
"I just want to say I love your pencil work. I used to staff artists for some of the largest ad agencies in NY. Pencil art is my favorite and would love to commission from you a portrait of my golden Samantha “Sam”. …She is currently 7 years old but I have a puppy picture that captures her spirit. I am looking for a large portrait I can hang in my staircase."
— Michael and Cathy Malta
I was absolutely delighted that Michael chose me to create the drawings for him and his family, since being so experienced in dealing with artists during his career. I created two drawings one 12 x 10 and one 16 x 12 and these are two messages Michael sent when he saw the drawings and when he received them too.
"I cant describe the emotions that came over my wife and I. Incredible and thank your husband as well, you are truly an amazing artist.
Thank you for the artwork of Sam. We recieved them today and bought tears to our eyes. Thank you for everything. "
— Michael and Cathy Malta
Dodge - November 2023
Read about the portraits of Dodge and this amazing commission with photos, testimonials and two beautiful videos on our blog post here - The Oil Painting and Pencil Drawing of Dodge.
Marshall - October 2023
Kimberly from Australia contacted both Nicholas and myself as she wanted to commission a painting for her identical sisters wedding. She sent some beautiful photos of Marshall and said - Marshall is a treasured city working dog, he loves to be outside in the green grass and he never grew into his ears! With this in mind we chose an outside photo of Marshall, with a lovely bright green grassy background with strong sunlight to show the true outdoors light of Australia. The oil painting was a 12 x 10 portrait and was completed in time for the wedding.
"WOW! This is incredible! How on earth has Nicholas created this. Marshall looks so handsome. Thank you both so much!"
— Kimberly Solly
Leon - August 2023
Adriana is a returning client from São Paulo in Brazil. I created a pencil drawing of her beautiful dog Melody and number of years ago and Adriana now has a new dog called Leon. She commissioned a 12 x 10 drawing of him and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute drawing him.
"I simply love so so much!!!"
— Adriana Farina
Horse and Foal - July 2023
The portrait of the horse and foal was commissioned by Justin King for his daughter Briony. The oil painting was a 30 x 20 and an absolute joy for Nicholas to paint. The portrait speaks for itself, along with the testimonial from Briony below.
"What can I say other than, WOW! It's hard to believe that it's a painting. Thank you so much, I can't wait to have it hung in my office."
— Briony King
Blue - June 2023
I recently had the honour of drawing a pencil portrait of a lovely dog called Blue who was wearing a knitted jumper. The photo I worked from was fabulous! The portrait came out really well. I am so pleased that my client Sean and his family loved it..
"Melanie, Thank you so much again for making this a dream come true for my family and me. I sincerely appreciate your work and creating a forever memory of Blue for us. Best wishes to you and your family :)"
— Sean
Horses - May 2023
The horse oil painting of Logan and Jessica was a wonderful commission which Nicholas completed for a wedding gift. You can read the full story and see a video of Jessica opening the painting on the dedicated blog post here - Horse Oil Painting of Logan and Jessica.
"They love it! Hope you got the video! Tell Nicholas “There were tears!”.. "
— Janice Tilghman
Oscar - May 2023
This is gorgeous Labrador is called Oscar. I loved every minute drawing him. The portrait was for a surprise birthday in Australia. I love the pose and I think side profile portraits are becoming one of my favourites. My client Victoria was absolutely thrilled with the outcome. She sent a number of WhatsApp messages that really made me smile when she saw the final photos.....
"THESE are unbelievable!!!!!!
Like just absolutely beautiful
I cant fault it
Thank you SO much
My husband will be beside himself
These are so special I am just GOODNESS me look at it!
Thank you!!
Victoria "
— Victoria
Ella - March 2023
Our client Robyn commissioned an oil painting of Ella for her family. Nicholas painted her at 16 x 12 size. You can see the finished painting below, along with photos of it being packed ready to send.
"Dear Melanie and Nicholas, We are thrilled with the portrait. You have done a great job! Many thanks!"
— Robyn
Betty - February 2023
Amy commissioned a lovely pencil drawing of her mums dog for her birthday. The drawing was so much fun to create, Betty is absolutely gorgeous! I hope you like it!
"Hi Melanie,
Just to confirm I received the portrait yesterday and my mum has it now - absolutely loves it! Thank you very much!"
— Amy
Alfie - February 2023
Alfie was commissioned for a big birthday surprise by Lisa and her family for her mum. As you can read from the testimonial below, they were all over the moon with the painting!
"Hi Melanie and Nicholas!
I can't thank Nicholas enough for the painting! I am so thrilled with it - he really has captured Alfie's personality and character so well. We used to walk him daily up the woods and it was always his favourite place to be so that background choice seemed very fitting. I'm sure my mum is going to love it just as much as I do and it'll look fantastic on our walls!
Hi Melanie and Nicholas,
So we presented my mum her portrait of Alfie the other day and she absolutely adores it! She thought it was so brilliant and captured Alfie perfectly! We are currently holding off putting it up until we can get it framed and I'll be sure to send you a photo once we have it done! Thank you so much again to you and Nicholas - it was the perfect idea for her birthday and you both have been fantastic."
— Lisa
Seven Dogs - December 2022
The pencil drawing of the seven dogs was a pretty epic one to draw, all in good time to get it to the USA for Christmas. Georgia loved the outcome and you can read her email below when she received it.
"Hi Melanie,
Your masterpiece arrived and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am with your work Melanie. Your work is second to NONE!!! You captured each of the dogs beautifully and I just know my friend is going to be left speechless. Patti, is a very dear friend of mine who has done so much for me during our friendship. I felt I could never reciprocate properly to her all she’s done for me but now I know I’ve given her something she will love and cherish for a lifetime. I can’t wait for her to see your work.
Melanie, you are a very gifted artist and I must also compliment your packing and your presentation box. It’s lovely and I’m taking pictures of it to show my friend.
Have a wonderfully happy holiday season Melanie and again thank you so very much. Your website is beautiful and draws the viewer in by the stunning work you display in it. It caught my eye right away and I knew YOU were the artist I wanted to do my work. One of the wisest decisions I’ve ever made.
I’m sending you a huge hug of thanks and good will.
Georgia
Xoxo"
— Georgia
Rasha - December 2022
Our client Joel commissions Nicholas to paint his wife's horse Rasha which she lost decades ago. We were given a very old photo to work with but it had just enough detail. Nicholas made a splendid job of the painting and I have even added an early stage so you can see how the painting started.
"Hi Melanie and Nicholas,
Just wanted to tell you the portrait arrived safe and sound today. It looks awesome! Absolutely love the detail! Thank you and Nicholas for such a beautiful painting! I can't wait to give it to Heather at Christmas!
Thanks again!"
— Joel
Kipling - December 2022
Maria and family were keen to have a frontal image of Kipling surrounded by 4 corners of smaller studies of different poses, one of which would be him with his younger 'brother' Percy who is a young black lab. Maria's idea was that in a couple of years when Percy is mature she would get a portrait of him as the main focus with Kipling with him in one of the corners. The drawing came out beaufully and Maria and her family were delighted.
"Dear Melanie,
Finally, Kipling came back from the framers yesterday! There have been all sorts of delays for various reasons so it has been a long wait but we are absolutely delighted with the end result. He looks magnificent!
Thank you again."
— Maria
Hudson and Hannah - November 2022
Our client Kaylyn emailed to ask if we would be able to paint her two Boston Terriers Hudson and Hannah as a gift for her mum. Kaylyn was delighted with the final painting and you can read her amazing email testimonial below. I have also added a video of the finished painting for you to see it in more detail.
"Hi Melanie and Nicholas,
I love it! Wow, Nicholas did an excellent job, I cannot stop looking at it. I’m so excited. I want to thank you for this wonderful experience. In addition to the painting being so well done and beautiful, you’ve been great at communicating about the process and updates. I’m so excited to have this painting and will reach out for future portraits.
Thank you very much,
"
— Kaylyn
Meg - December 2022
Returning client Helen and her family commissions a pencil drawing of her dearly loved and recently passed cat called Meg. I was so sorry o hear about Meg and so did my very best in creating a portrait for them that they would be able to cherish. Meg was a 12 x 10 pencil drawing on Italian watercolour paper.
"Dear Melanie,
I can't tell you how much I have been longing to see Meg's portrait! Oh my goodness, it was worth the wait! It is stunning and brought tears to my eyes at the absolute likeness to her. I couldn't be happier with it. Thank you so much."
— Helen
Monty - October 2022
Andrew contacted both Nicholas and myself enquiring about having a oil painting of his dog Monty holding his favourite toy at 16 x 12 size. The painting was to be a surprise birthday gift for his wife. I have added a few photos and also a couple of videos for you to see below. I hope you enjoy the presentation.
"Hi Melanie and Nicholas, It's lovely, I'm sure she will love it! Andrew."
— Andrew
Boone - July 2022
Arlene contacted us to ask about having a painting or drawing created of her cat called Boone. She had many photos and was unsure of the size to have or whether to have a drawing or painting. We created Arlene a few mock-ups to show her what a drawing or painting much look like, using her photos, and a few ideas of size and shape and Arlene opted for a lovely oil painting at 16 x 12 size. Arlene was thrilled with the outcome as you can see from her email when she saw the finished painting for the first time below.
"Good Morning!
It is BEAUTIFUL! ! !
I cannot wait to see it here in person!
Thank you so much!"
— Arlene
Patton - June 2022
Gene emailed us in April 2022 enquiring about a 12x10 Oil Commission of his dog Patton. The photos were lovely and Nicholas was able to create a beautiful oil painting of Patton for them to remember him by. Gene and his wife were delighted and moved by the final painting as you can read below.
"My wife wept. Nothing needs to change. Its perfect."
— Gene
Flipette - March 2022
Laurent was given a gift voucher by a friend for a 16 x 12 pencil drawing for a portrait of his gorgeous dog called Flipette. The portrit was an absolute joy to draw and once complete it headed off to France to the happy recipeint.
"Hello, Melanie
Amazing it is really Flipette.Your work is remarkable looking forward to seeing it in real life and making my comment."
— Laurent
Wallace - October 2021
Beth commissioned Nicholas to paint an oil portrait of Wallace for her daughters wedding in New York. The portrait was a 12 x 10 oil painting framed in our Regent frame too. Wallace was so well received, it was the perfect gift! You can see a photo of Catlin and Ryan and a lovely email from Beth below too.
"The portrait of Wallace was an immense hit! The pictures are not that great but as you can see from Caitlin's face she was shocked and thrilled! I was so proud of my girl that they waited until we got there to open the package! Wallace is now hanging in the living room in a place of honor. The Wedding went perfectly, the guests all had a great time and the weather in New York was outstanding. I could not have asked for a better time. Again, many thanks!"
— Beth
Max - September 2021
Minoo called us to ask if we would be able to paint a portrait of their much loved family member, a Bichon Friese called Max. Max had sadly passed away a few weeks prior and the whole family were missing him terribly. Minoo had some specific ideas of how she wanted the painting to look, so we came up with a number of mock-ups until we found the perfect design, which included a velvet blanket Max loved. Minoo and her family posed for a photo with the portrait, they all loved it and were thrilled to have Max home where he belonged.
"He’s here safe and sound! Even more beautiful than the photos. Can’t stop crying. Thanks for the letter. Will do family photo next week when Natalia is back from London. You and Nicholas are miracle workers.
I now need to get used to looking into his eyes without crying. It’s so real.
Nicholas has truly captured him and it’s about the same size as Max 💜💜💜"
— Minoo
Toby - June 2021
Returning client Debbie White (UK) commissioned a portrait of their beautiful Jack Russell Toby as a surprise gift for her husband. Debbie wanted the portrait of Toby to be full body with background similar to a previous painting Nicholas created. We love the peaceful setting and the photo Debbie supplied us was superb. The portrait was a 14 x 11 oil painting on linen canvas.
"I was just talking to Neil about Toby and wondered how it was going with his painting, when I noticed your email. We are over the moon with it thank you."
— Debbie White
Pippa & Gus - May 2021
Returning clients Harlan Crow and his family have commissioned a number of oil paintings of their dogs over the years. The most recent were of Pippa and Gus as Christmas gifts for the family. Each painting also has a specially commissioned hand carved frame made for each portrait. The framed have significant items and motifs carved associated with each pet, along with their names on them. The paintings look incredible in these stunning frames and you can see them all gathered in family's home on their stairway below.
"Good morning Melanie,
So excited the portraits are finished and are ready for shipping!
The portraits look lovely, and I will send a photo to you once they are hung. 🙂
Thank you and Nicholas for all your hard work!!
Best,
Karen xx"
— Harlan Crow
Sarah March 2021
Returning client Tracy Maguire and her family commissioned this portrait of Sarah as a lasting memory of her. Nicholas painted her to the size of 16 x 16 inches framed with our Traditional Wood Frame. Tracy sent some beautiful emails to us during the commissions process, one of which is below.
"Dear Melanie and Nicholas,
I wanted to let you know Sarah's portrait arrived safely today by DHL. Not surprisingly, given Nicholas' skill, I cried seeing Sarah's happy smile and warm eyes. Give me a few days to get my emotions under control and I'll pen a glowing review for your web site. Until then, thank you for Sarah and continue to stay safe.Yours,Tracy Maguire"
— Tracy Maguire
Joey - December 2020
Returning client Ben commissioned a portrait of their new puppy Joey. Ben and his wife Marisa rescue dogs and currently have 4 Beagles and we have either drawn or painted them all, along with their previous dogs too. Such a wonderful family and probably one of our favoruite clients from the last 25 years! This painting was a 10 x 8 oil painting on Italian linen canvas.
"Marisa LOVED LOVED LOVED her Joey portrait. She can't stop showing anyone she can show, she loves how detailed it is. And I think our choice of going with a painting this time was the right thing, she comments often that Joey is a unique soul and his portrait is also unique when next to our others (not to diminish how much she loves them all of course).Thank you and Nicholas again so very much. It is so beautiful and was a highlight of our otherwise VERY mellow holiday.Hope you are well. Talk soon! BEN"
— Ben
