Scottish Pet Portraits, dogs, cats and other animals in watercolour and pencil

Scottish Pet Portraits
by James Donaldson Collins BA(Hons) Fine Art

Pet portraits from Scotland.
Portraits of dogs, cats, horses, birds and other animals in pencil, watercolour or gouache,
drawn or painted from photos in my studio in the Highlands of Scotland.

hand painted logo of collie, paints and brushes

You can order a portrait of your dog or other pet by phone, post or email; see Enquiries. Just send one or more clear photos, which will be returned in good condition with the finished artwork. Commissions usually take up to a couple of weeks to complete; sometimes less if it's for a particular date.

You are welcome to browse through Scottish Pet Portraits for your own enjoyment. Inside you'll find a variety of drawings and paintings of dogs, cats, birds and wild animals. There are five pages of quotes about dogs and about wolves, which I've illustrated with pen and ink drawings, a story about my border collie Patch, a piece about wolf conservation and some thoughts on moving out of the Highlands and onto the Moray Firth coastal plain; Do You Ken John Peel?
I have just added a section called True dog stories and A short illustrated history of animal art.

There is a page of pet news, and a page of information and photos of me and the area of north-east Scotland where I live. I also have a Guestbook and lots of links and resources for pet owners and artists in the UK, US and France.You can find these pages from the bottom of this page, from my Sitemap and my Link pages directory.

Hold the press. My New Year resolution is to produce a folio of pen and ink landscapes of the beautiful local scenery of Moray, in Scotland, which is where l have the great good fortune to live with my wife, my daughter and her boyfriend, and our four dogs. So although this site is basically about dogs and other pets, I've sneaked in a page for my pen and ink drawings. Well, it is my site, isn't it? You'll find it at Pen and ink landscapes

Click on an image to enlarge

Recently I've had quite a few requests for pen and wash sketches, mainly of dogs or cats, but also for small local scenes - not really landscapes, perhaps just a house and a garden, a farmyard or a boat. I've always liked sketching with a pen, as a kind of hobby when I'm not producing detailed portraits, (I use a dip-in pen, like the old-fashioned ones that were used in schools way back when). You can see the loose, informal effect that's possible from the six small dog sketches above (click to enlarge).
Because a sketch doesn't take so long to produce as a formal portrait, and is usually smaller, I am able to offer them
at the much reduced price of Ł60 plus p&p (see enquiries for details, or phone 01309 641556).
For the landscape sketches I mentioned, see my other website Scottish Art

I have two other websites; Scottish Art features landscapes, people portraits, still-life and some
Scottish stories, while Scottish Dog Portraits shows some more of my dog portraits.

Click on an image to enlarge

Two Springer Spaniels in gouache

Three labradors in watercolour and gouache

Two tabby cats in watercolour and gouache

Tribute to a Dog ...

The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves
ungrateful or treacherous is his dog. A man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty. In health and in sickness.

He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be by his master's side.
He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the
roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.

When all the other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wing and reputation falls
to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

Senator George Vest 1870
Born in Devon, England.

... a caution from Rudyard Kipling ...

There is sorrow enough in the natural way
From men and women to fill our day;
And when we are certain of sorrow in store,
Why do we always arrange for more?
Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware
Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

When the body that lived for your every will,
With its whimper of welcome is still (how still).
When the spirit that answered your every word
Is gone, wherever it goes, for good,
You will discover how much you care,
For you had given your heart to a dog to tear.

Extract from 'The Power of The Dog'
Rudyard Kipling 1865 - 1936

... a poem from my daughter Abi ...

Tommy’s First Pet
He leapt up enthusiastically at the sight of his first pet,
Happiness filled his heart,
And sadness his eyes,
He called out to it.
It regarded him.
They came home together.
He sat himself in front of the blazing fire,
Thinking of what might have happened,
If he had not discovered this incredible creature.
Suddenly his pet sprung up,
And reached for the lead.
“Time for walkies, Tommy.”
Yes, Tommy liked his new pet.

Abigail Collins

... and a few quotes about dogs and cats

Cats are the ultimate narcissists.
You can tell this because of the
time they spend on personal grooming.
Dogs aren't like this. A dog's idea of
personal grooming is to roll on a dead fish.
James Gorman

A house without either a cat or
a dog is the house of a scoundrel.
Portugese proverb

Anyone who doesn't know what soap
tastes like never washed a dog.
Franklin P. Jones

Please tickle me to see more dog portraits