My Very First Pet Portrait

A pet portrait of my beloved childhood cat, Smudge.

I feel I ought to introduce the muse behind my pet portrait ambitions, before introducing anything else!

Smudge was the name of my beloved childhood cat. He was a devilishly handsome black and white, Tuxedo Cat. I nicknamed him Batman or Zorro due to the fact he looked like he wore a black mask over his eyes and ears, but not the lower part of his face! My family decided to call him Smudge because of the black blobs he wore on his chin and bib.

Smudge became a part of my life when I was seven years old, not long after being placed into foster care. My foster family got him and another cat (a tortoiseshell we called Callie) to help me settle into my new home. Smudge and I didn’t get along to start off with, despite my best efforts, because I was a little and he didn’t liked to be picked up all the time! However, over the years flourished a great bond between us. He was nicknamed my, “black and white sheep”, because of the way he kept following me around the house.

Anyway, he inspired me to start drawings pets because he was always nearby! I completed the portrait of Smudge when I was 16 years old. I had actually thought about becoming a pet portrait artist back then, because I loved art and had met a professional artist called Pam, who sold pet portraits for a living. It was after that that I started selling pet portraits for a small fee.

Smudge unfortunately died at the ripe age of 13, back in 2017. I will never forget how he loved to sit next to me when I was creating art or the way he comforted me if I was upset. He will forever inspire me and my art business.

Smudge sitting next to me while I was painting a pet commission