Naomi Jenkin is a renowned pet portrait and wildlife artist, celebrated for her ability to capture the personality and soul of her subjects. Specializing in highly realistic pet portraits, Naomi meticulously hand draws each piece using only the finest art materials. Recently, Painters Online had the opportunity to delve into her creative process and explore how she brings her incredible portraits to life.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in art?

I’ve been creative for as long as I can remember. As a child I was continually making things, drawing and painting. My father started working as a professional artist when I was 5, so I grew up in a house surrounded by paintings and art materials which was quite exciting! I did also see how up and down an art career can be though, especially during times of economic instability which actually put me off pursuing my own art career for quite a few years. It wasn’t until I turned 30 when I decided to make that leap of faith. Up until then I’d worked as a sound engineer in London for the film and tv post production industry.

Naomi with Darcy portrait

What inspired you to focus on creating realistic pet portraits?

A combination of my dog Charlie, and seeing the work of another pet portrait artist on Instagram. I was scrolling through one day and saw an image of a dog which I thought was a nice photo, then I realised it was a hand drawn portrait by a lady who was a pet portrait artist. I didn’t even know that was a thing back then! Being a huge dog lover though, I immediately saw the value in what she did. It gave me so much drive and inspiration to see if I could make a go of it myself. Drawing people’s pets has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. It’s so heartwarming to hear how much a portrait means to someone and how much comfort it brings, especially when that pet is no longer around.

Progress of Mylo by Naomi

How long have you been working with pastels, and what drew you to these mediums?

I’ve been using them for about 7 years now. I started with coloured pencils, but soon got drawn to pastels as I love the strength of colour they give, and the lovely soft textures. Plus being a dry medium, they’re easy to pick up and put down with minimal clean up time. This was quite important to me in the beginning as I started my art business working in my evenings and weekends alongside a full-time job, so I didn’t want to waste half an hour each day cleaning paint brushes!

Progress of Maggie by Naomi

Can you walk us through your typical process for creating a pet portrait, from initial concept to finished piece?

Firstly, I like to find out all about the pet and their personality as this really helps me to capture their true likeness in the drawing. It also feeds into artistic decisions such as choosing the right pose, setting, and any particular features of the pet that I need to bring out in the drawing. Once the client has sent me a selection of photos, I’ll go through and put together some composition options for the client to choose from.

When it comes to the actual drawing, I start with the outline and background first. I’ll then work on a small section of the pet at a time, working from top left to bottom right. I block in the darkest colours of each area first with pastel sticks, and the build up more detailed layers on top with some of my harder pastels, and pastel pencils. Once I’m satisfied with that section, I move onto the next bit. Pastels can be quite messy so I’ve found working in this way keeps the mess to a minimum as I’m not having to lean my hand on an area I’ve already drawn.

Progress of Gilbert by Naomi

How do you choose the right reference photo, and what qualities make a good reference image for your work?

When it comes to pet portraits, choosing the right reference photo is a team effort between myself and my client. My client ultimately knows their pet better than anyone, and so they are best placed to judge whether that photo best captures their pet’s personality. I advise on the artistic aspects, for instance whether the composition and perspective will work as a portrait, whether the quality of the photo is good enough for me to work from, whether the lighting is good enough etc.

Ideally the reference photo needs to be of high resolution so that I can zoom in and still see all the details, be well lit with natural daylight to accurately show the colours, and needs to capture the pet’s personality. Getting that sort of photo isn’t always possible thought, especially if the pet is no longer around. In those instances, we have to compromise a bit on photo quality to make sure we’re choosing something that accurately reflects the pet’s essence and personality. That’s where artistic license and having a few different photo references comes in handy as you can ‘fill in the gaps’ where your chosen reference might be a bit lacking!

Naomi Drawing Riley

What techniques do you find most effective for capturing the personality and essence of a pet?

As I mentioned earlier, I find it so helpful talking to my client about their pet, and hearing their stories about them. It really brings their pet’s personality to life in my mind and allows me to see the photos in the right context. Quite often I get clients to send me videos of their pet, as these can convey the pet’s personality so well!

Having great observation is also key. Drawing someone’s pet is a real honour – that pet is someone’s absolute pride and joy, their soulmate and constant companion. I can guarantee your client knows all those little individual quirks and unique features that their pet has. So, you have to really look at your reference photos and make sure you get them right in the portrait. Whether it’s the little spot of pink on the nose, the wayward tuft of fur, or the big cheesy grin they always sport. It’s the little details that really add up to make it their pet.

Materials and Tools

What brands or types of pastels and pencils do you prefer, and why?

I use quite a range but my two go-to brands of pastel pencil are Stabilo Carbothello and Faber Castel Pitt Pastel pencils. I use the FCs for the most detailed work as they give a nice fine point. The Stabilos are a bit softer and creamier in texture and have some really lovely colours.

For pastel sticks, I use Rembrandts and Unisons a lot for the backgrounds and underpaintings. They blend really easily and give really great smooth coverage. I also like to use Conté à Paris crayons for more scratchy textures and coarse fur.

Naomi with Teddy portrait

Are there any specific papers or surfaces you find work best for your portraits?

I’ve tried a few different brands but Clairefontaine Pastelmat is the one I always come back to. It’s similar to a sanded surface in that it holds multiple layers of pastel making it great for detailed work. But it’s not as rough as true sanded papers which can really munch through pastels, and leave your fingers sore when you try to blend!

Do you use any other tools or materials that are essential to your process?

I love using PanPastels and Sofft Tools which are the spongey applicator tools made for PanPastels. You can get some really great effects with Pan Pastels and I use them a lot for backgrounds, as well as for areas of soft focus, or really thick soft fluffy fur! The colours they have are fabulous too and I’m a particular fan of the selection of greens they have. For natural looking foliage backgrounds they’re ideal!

Bobby by Naomi

Challenges and Solutions

What are some common challenges you face when creating realistic pet portraits, and how do you overcome them?

Having poor reference photos is the biggest challenge and one I face quite often. If it’s a memorial portrait I’m drawing, then I ask my client if they can send me a range of photos which I can use alongside the main reference we’ve chosen. That way, I’m able to get a better overall picture of the pet, and any features which are hard to see in the main reference photo are (hopefully) a bit clearer in one of the other photos. It’s not uncommon for me to be referencing 5 or 6 photos in addition to the main reference I’m drawing from.

The other challenge is helping to guide a client on which photo to choose as the main reference for their portrait. As the owner of a camera shy dog, I fully appreciate how hard it can be to get that perfect photo of your pet! Quite often when I talk to clients, they’re torn between two or more photos and like elements of each. In these instances, giving your client a bit of time and also discussing what they like and don’t like about each photo can be really helpful. Sometimes the dilemma can be solved with some artistic wizardry in the final drawing by combining elements from each!

Advice and Tips

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who want to specialize in realistic pet portraits?

I’d say try and draw every day if you can. Even if it’s only for 30 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you improve when you do a little bit regularly. Find an area in your house where you can have your art materials laid out all the time. That way, it’s so much easier to sit down and just draw for a few minutes, rather than having to get out your art supplied and set them up.

And in terms of specifically drawing realistic pet portraits, I’d say observation is key. This applies to anything in art really, but especially so when you’re drawing pets or people for a client. You don’t really have the liberty to fudge things as it won’t look like their pet or family member!

Future Plans

What are your goals for the future with your art? Do you have any upcoming projects or exhibitions?

The pet portraits are a really lovely constant with my art. I love creating them and have many clients who keep coming back for more which is so rewarding. I currently have quite a waiting list of several months!

I also intersperse my pet portrait work with wildlife art. At the time of writing, one of my elephant drawings ‘The Elephant Charge’ is being exhibited in the Wildlife Artist of the Year 2024 exhibition. My drawings will also be featured in the Exhibition of Wildlife Art later this year.

I’m currently working on a colourful new wildlife art series called The Colours of Life. It’s a bright and colourful series of portraits featuring various endangered species, and combines elements of hyper realism alongside a loose painterly style. I see it as my way of documenting our planet’s beautiful creatures and celebrating them in vivid colour, whilst also highlighting the issues they currently face.

I’m releasing both the original artworks, and limited edition prints of each piece. I’ve been really pleased with the series has received so far. People really love them!

Naomi drawing Burt

Are you exploring any new techniques or mediums that we might see in your future work?

Yes! The Colours of Life series is my first foray into mixed media – each piece uses pastels, Derwent Inktense blocks and coloured pencils. I use the Inktense blocks like paint alongside pastels which has resulted in some really satisfying effects and vibrant pieces.

I’ve also been trying to learn watercolours in my spare time, just for fun at the moment as I’ve been curious about them for a while. I’ve been enjoying going out and sketching with them this summer, creating little paintings of wildlife, flowers and my local area. For now, it’s just for my own enjoyment and artistic development but who knows, it may lead to something more down the line!

To find out more about Naomi's work visit her website here. You can also keep up to date with Naomi's work on Instagram and Facebook. 

Follow Naomi's Pan Pastels demonstration in the November 2024 issue of Leisure Painter.

Don't forget that all subscribers and Studio members have access to digital issues of both Leisure Painter and The Artist going back to the early 2010s with the latest issues added each month.