Sylvie with Fire Horses, oil on canvas

Discover an exclusive interview with Sylvie Baker Art on her expressive animal portraits, painting process, finding a unique artistic style, and how Billie Eilish buying one of her artworks transformed her confidence and career.

Your animal portraits have such personality and presence. What are you considering when you begin a painting?

Mostly the energy of the piece, whether I want it to be a light and energetic piece or a more intense look which affects which animals I want to feature and the colours and composition. I like to consider the overall colour theme first and then start sketching (often changing the colours throughout the process). 

Your brushwork feels expressive and energetic. Could you talk us roughly through your process - from first sketch to final details?

I usually start with either sketching in my book or on my tablet and just do some really rough shapes until I’m happy with the overall look. Once I have an idea of the composition I just loosely sketch on the canvas and then use that as a guide once I start painting. Once I do start painting, the piece can really change direction depending on how I’m feeling at the time. I don’t feel pressured to stick to the sketch at all if I have another idea while painting, I think that’s what gives my pieces their free energy.

Alan and Andy, oil on canvas

Many artists struggle to animal portraiture feel alive. What technical tricks or painting methods have you developed to create that sense of movement?

I like to make the brushstrokes very prominent and not worry about blending or the tiny details and focus on the overall picture. I think the lack of extreme detail leaves space for the spirit of the animals to come through. 

Animals can be wonderfully unpredictable subjects. Do you work mainly from photographs, observation, memory, or a mixture?

Definitely a mixture! The majority are painted without a reference and just from my observation of animals throughout my life but sometimes I’ll scroll through my camera roll to get inspired which sometimes leads me to use a photo as a reference but sometimes just serves as a jumping off point. My more realistic style animals are usually from photos and the abstract from my head.

The Stretch, acrylic on paper, A4 

You’ve recently found yourself in the spotlight after Billie Eilish bought one of your paintings. How has that moment changed your confidence, your opportunities, or the way you view your own career?

It was definitely validating and has motivated me to really pursue art as a career, having such an incredible artist like your work is such a great feeling! Before that point I was only just breaking into the art world properly and getting a few different opportunities but since I announced her purchase I have seen a big boost! I am so incredibly grateful that she reached out to let me know, without that I wouldn’t have such certainty that I’m taking the right path. 

For aspiring wildlife and pet portrait artists reading Painters Online, what’s the one lesson you’ve learned about developing a recognisable personal style while still improving technically?

I think not being afraid to make ‘ugly’ art was a huge thing for me! I used to be so worried about making every piece look great but as soon as I let that go I could experiment more and through that I found my own style that I can keep building on. I used my own reference photos that wouldn’t usually stand out to me as nice painting subjects and worked with them. It surprised me how much difference there can be while still studying the form of the animals. 

Surrounded, oil on canvas

Find out more about Sylvie's artwork on her website

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