Three Cats

Jimmy

7" X 5" pen and ink

2010

Ivan and Violet

7" X 5" pen and ink

2010

Jimmy, Ivan, and Violet live together in Washington, D.C. "They all adore each other," Kristin, their person, writes, "but it is hard to find the three of them in one place simultaneously." Jimmy is 15 years old. The sleeping beauties--Ivan and Violet, brother and sister, orange and grey--are 1 1/2 years old.

Smokey

Smokey

5" X 7" pen and ink

2010

I don't know much about Smokey, except that he's a Bichon Frise, he's a sweetie (I can tell just by looking at him!), and that he travels in style in his own deluxe recreational vehicle. Lucky pup!

Two Lovely Lassies

Meghan & Missy

10" X 8" pen and ink

2010

I couldn’t draw these two lovely lassies without harkening back to Sunday night episodes of Lassie on our black-and-white TV, my three brothers and I, crowded onto the couch in our pajamas, wiggling our drop-seat fannies, dangling our rubber-soled feet over the edge, elbowing each other, and eagerly awaiting Timmy’s next catastrophe and Lassie’s new heroism. Am I dating myself?

Brian & Leslie

1958

Missy

Missy is a purebred rough-coated collie, not unlike Lassie. “You might notice,” Terri points out, “that Missy’s nose is slightly bent to her right and her lower jaw is shorter than her upper jaw. Thus, her lower teeth always show as if she’s smiling.”

Meghan

Meghan was a collie/Brittany spaniel mix and—Alas!—no longer alive. “Meghan had a lot of collie characteristics,” Terri says, “but her ears could go up, out, or flop, whereas Missy’s ears always stand straight up.” Meghan was a happy dog; Missy is, too.

Again, I faced the challenge of bringing two dogs together—in this case, two dogs who had never met each other in real life—in the same drawing. My challenge was compounded by the fact that the photo references weren’t as close-up as I would have liked, the details not as clear. But I loved Meghan’s fly away ears in the night scene and Missy’s cocked head, skewed nose, and crooked smile in the couch scene. So I squinted and drew and remembered Timmy in trouble—yet again!—shouting “Get help, Lassie!” and Lassie bounding over hill and dale on her mission to bark some silly person into sensibility. She always saved the day—yet again!—in under 30 minutes. It was a fun week of drawing!

One Cat

Apricot

8" X 10" pen and ink

2009

After my four-cat extravaganza, drawing this little diva was a piece of cake. I can't rest, though. Coming soon is a three-cat drawing. But first, I'm going to carve woodcut as a wedding present for my nephew and his bride, who is now my new niece!

Bird Dogs

Scout

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Tia

8" X 10" pen and ink

2009

Scout, a golden retriever, and Tia, an English cocker spaniel, are both bird dogs. They hunt duck, quail, and pheasant. I watched a demonstration by Rose, Scout's sister, last weekend, and she is impressive! She heels, sits, waits, and then fetches -- all on command. She responds to voice, hand, and whistle signals -- all with alacrity. She finds the birds (dummies, in this case), she brings them back, she releases them, and then she begs for more. It's amazing to watch a dog who is so enthusiatically committed to her work!

I should add that this working relationship is much like the one I have with my dog, Kinsey, only in reverse. Kinsey gives the commands -- voice, paw, eyebrow -- and I hop to with alacrity. I'm sure my eagerness to work on Kinsey's behalf gives her great pleasure, too.

Trio

Sappho

Lily & Daisy

8" X 10" pen and ink

2009

Wew! What a challenge this trio posed for me--each dog with her distinctive physical properties and her definitive personality. I've spent days on this drawing and have suffered all sorts of doubts as to whether I chose the right photographs, whether I arranged them in the best grouping, whether I should have moved one dog a smidgeon to the right or to the left, a tad up or down. I could have spent many more days fussing over it, but I've decided that it's done. I've got to stop some time! Enjoy!

"The Importance of Being Earnest"

Simon

7" X 5" pen and ink

2009

Both Labradors and Oscar Wilde know "The Importance of Being Earnest." Here's Simon's second portrait, a study in earnest Labradorishness. The eager ears, the furrowed brow, the watchful eyes, the inquisitive nose, the soft mouth--it's all there. No subterfuge in this fellow. Simon is as open and as honest as, well, a Labrador! Can't you just hear him wondering, "When are you going to throw that ball--again?"

A Kangal & Two Companions

Honey

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Honey is a nine-year-old Anatolian Shepherd Dog, an ancient breed from Turkey, also known as the Anatolian Karabash. Turks call them Kangals. These big, powerful dogs are fierce protectors of their flocks. When Tom and I hiked in Turkey, we learned to give the Kangals we came across a wide berth. We didn't want to mess with them or their sheep! I thought it highly appropriate that I was drawing a Turkish Kangal while President Obama and his wife, Michelle, were visiting Turkey!

Honey lives far from Turkey in Dripping Springs, Texas. She weighs in at 100 lbs., but she is so long-limbed and lithe that you wouldn’t know it. Every weekend, she visits a horseback riding stable. “She loves that,” says Gail, “eating hoof cookies, rolling in manure, interacting with the other dogs, lying in the dusty sand. Whenever we walk on the property, of course, she leads the way in great leaps. Occasionally, she chases a bunny or guinea hen. But, her breed is a guard type and her preference is to lie some place she can see everything. On a funny note, she is NOT a morning person. This morning, for example, Meg and I had already gotten up, made coffee, showered, had breakfast, but Honey had not even come out of the bedroom yet. When she did, she squinted her eyes at me, yawned, and then stretched a big downward dog. She's the easiest, quietest dog we've ever had.”

On another note:

I always advise people with pale dogs—Golden Retrievers, yellow Labradors, apricot Poodles, snowy Samoyeds, honey-colored Turkish Kangals—to choose a dark background for their PenPets portraits. It costs a little more (all those cross-hatchings take time, a steady hand, and a mindless sort of concentration), but I think it’s worth it to set off the dogs on the page. I decided to test my theory on this next drawing. Here are Sidney and Charlie with no background.

Kind of flat, I'd say.

Here is the finished portrait with a dark background.

Sidney & Charlie

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Now the dogs pop right off the page! The dark background gives Sidney, the Golden, more depth, and it even adds drama to Charlie, the black-and-tan hound mix. These two dogs live in Salem, South Carolina, and are the constant companions of Oksana. Sidney is a happy dog, always smiling. Charlie is a hunter with no patience for photo ops. Is he scowling just a little bit in this portrait?

A Tempest in a Teacup

Kaly

10" X 8" pen and ink

2009

Kaly (short for Kalypso) has it all—fabulous hair, bedroom eyes, a Mona Lisa smile, and boundless energy! She makes the Energizer Bunny look like he’s standing stock still. That’s how she keeps her weight down to a svelte 2.8 lbs. Yep! Kaly is a Teacup (as in tiny) Yorkshire Terrier, and the absolute joy of her people’s lives. David says, "She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to Kim and me.” Kaly rarely goes outside, but she runs a half-dozen marathons indoors every day.

On your marks!

Get set!

You go girl!

This isn’t the first portrait I’ve drawn of Kaly. David says they're creating "a shrine" for their diminutive dynamo. I did this portrait four years ago (2005) when Kaly was a mere pup. I’m not sure that she’s grown into her ears yet!

Hammie the Hamster

Hammie the Hamster

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Here's a first for PenPets -- a hamster portrait! Hammie's not just any hamster, however. She's a rare tortoise-shell hamster -- dark chocolate brown with orange splotches. Here she is in color.

Hammie also has quite the dramatic life story, full of the pathos of abandonment, the joy of adoption, the thrill of escape, and the comfort of friendship. Here is Hammi's story, as told by Lisa Meijer:

Hammie "Houdini" Meijer

Hammie came into my life in the most unusual way and she continues to make each day an experience. I was at the mall one Saturday afternoon, minding my business, eating at Chic-fil-a (I love their sweet tea), when I saw this man at the table across from me yelling at his son. I am a social worker so my first thought was, “Oh please, don't make me work on the weekends!” LOL. The child was about 7 and I am not sure why he was getting yelled at but, all of the sudden, the dad grabbed his son's half eaten pizza and yelled, "Let's go!" as he threw the food in the trash. They began to walk away and the boy turned around, pointed to the table, and said, "Daddy my bag!" To which the father responded, "Leave it! You don't deserve it!" and he stormed off.

I sat there for a minute feeling sorry for that little boy when the bag began to move. OMG, I freaked out! I waited about 20 minutes thinking that the father would come back for whatever was moving in that bag. When he did not return, I took the bag to the pet store and ask them to open it (I was sure it was a snake). When they opened the box, out popped little Hammie. I explained the story and told the pet store to resell the hamster but they wouldn't take her back: store policy. So I looked at the clerk, took one look at Hammie's cute little face, and that was all it took. She became part of the Meijer Clan.

I took Hammie home and, after testing several cages, we finally found her the perfect Hamster Mansion.

We originally thought she was a boy but just another surprise from this little critter. We quickly learned that Hammie had a mission...escape to China. We can never figure how she does it but she has escaped more times than we can count. Once she pushed her tiny water bottle out of her cage and squeezed through the hole. She has eaten through my internt cord and phone cord, and she has chewed a large hole in my carpet, padding, and wood floor. She eats my cat’s food right out of her bowl with the cat drinking water out of the other bowl.

My cat Penny is intrigued by Hammie and thinks she is a kitten. Hammie can run across Penny's stomach and Penny doesn’t move. She just watches in amazement. Hammie is the cutest little critter and she gives us something to laugh at daily!!

Penny

10" X 8" pen and ink

2006

Not to be outdone by a hamster, who walks all over her, Penny has had her portrait done, too -- FIRST!

Ruby II

Ruby II

5" X 7" pen and ink

2009

Ruby II, a Springer Spaniel/Border Collie/Labrador Retriever mix, was Moose's predecessor. She also was a rescue dog, from a shelter on Mount Desert Island in Maine, home of Acadia National Park. And, of course, Ruby II's predecessor was Ruby I, a pure-bred Springer Spaniel, and one of my very first pet portraits. I drew Ruby I for my friend Maggie 11 long years ago and that experience helped launch my PenPets business. I'm trying to decide if my style has changed over the years.

Ruby I

6" X 6" pen and ink

1998

Maggie writes, "I'm already trying to pick out a spot to hang all three dog portraits together."