ABOUT ME
I’m Debra Mhairi, a pet portrait artist from Hampshire, UK, bringing together my two greatest passions in life: animals and drawing.
I studied Printed Textile Design and began my career in the textile and fashion industry in New York. After returning to the UK, I worked as a freelance designer before transitioning into teaching—sharing my love for Textiles, Art, and Design.
Today, I still teach Art, Craft and Design on a part-time basis, working with young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health need in a short-term provision —while dedicating the rest of my time to creating bespoke pet portraits, cards and gifts.
“I just love capturing their character and beauty” – Debra Mhairi
About the process
Each of my pet portraits is entirely bespoke and hand-drawn, created to capture the unique personality and character of your cherished companion. Whether it’s for yourself or a meaningful gift, a pet portrait is a beautiful way to celebrate the bond you share with your pet.
I specialise in highly detailed, black-and-white monochrome drawings in a realistic style. Every portrait is drawn from your favourite photo and crafted with care using only the highest quality materials, including Winsor & Newton black and white Indian ink, Posca pens, Uni Pin fine liners, and Prismacolor Premier colour pencils. These tools allow me to achieve the depth, texture, and fine detail that bring each portrait to life.
The most important part of the process is choosing the right photo of your pet. It’s well worth taking your time at this stage, as the quality of the photo has a big impact on the final portrait.
