Drawing Pets (28)

Sally Michel’s knowledge and understanding of animals, allied to her versatility as an artist, has enabled her to draw this remarkable and lively collection of pets and to describe her approach in delightfully informative and enthusiastic terms.

Sally portrays her subjects vividly and with careful attention to anatomical accuracy. As she says, there is one difference between painting animals and painting other subjects – such as landscapes, plants, still life, even human portraits – animals move. You never know when you are portraying an animal whether you have time for a detailed study, or will need to work fast to capture its likeness in a sketch. Her book is as varied as it is practical. She draws cats and dogs and other domestic animals with a skill that is born of her love of her subject. What is vital, she points out, is observation and accuracy. Even the apparently random patches of colour on a tortoiseshell cat, for example, obey certain rules. This wonderfully informative book is useful for all those wanting to paint their pets.

Sally Michel is a full-time professional artist and long-time member of the Society of Wildlife Artists. She spends her time drawing and painting buildings, landscapes, plants and animals using a variety of media. Sally has written several successful art technique books and she exhibits her work regularly at the Mall Galleries in London. She lives in Tunbridge Wells.