Funeral celebrant draws on pet portraiture to help with grief and loss

In the past she has dabbled in abstract art, but the excitement of seeing an animal painstakingly come to life on the page captivated her.

It starts with the eyes, then the nose, then the delicate process of replicating the fibres and movement of the fur.

"It can take over 20 hours to complete some portraits," McGregor said.

"With animals or dogs, it's a labour of love."

Jen McGregor says the loss of a pet can feel equally as significant as the loss of a family member (Supplied: Jen McGregor)

What started as a small lockdown project to expand her art skills has merged into a side business that sits comfortably with her line of work.

"The bulk of my drawings are done for people who have lost their pets," she said.

"For a lot of people, their pet can be the only thing they have, so when the pet passes away, it's as traumatic for them as if a human passed away.

"I'm still giving people comfort and peace and something to keep of their pet."

Wollongong artist Blake Douglas started learning how to draw animals by using his dog Bella as a subject (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)

Wollongong artist Blake Douglas started out by drawing a portrait of his dog Bella as a gift for his mother.

He said he immediately fell in love with depicting expressions and emotions in animals.

"Drawings contain so much artistic passion and technical skill," Douglas said.

"They differ to photos as they are creative depictions of life and contain so much love, skill, passion and personal flair."

Wollongong artist Blake Douglas uses graphite to draw his pet portraits, focusing on the expression and texture of an animal.(Supplied: Blake Douglas)

Emotional reactions

McGregor said it was common for people to ring her in tears after receiving their portrait.

"Photos are beautiful, but when there's a portrait done, it's so much more personal," she said.

"It has a special something about it."

Douglas said the portraits can become an important tool in the grieving process after someone loses a pet.

"Some people become quite emotional when seeing their framed loved ones for the first time," he said.

"Doing this portraiture has been a great way to uplift those who have recently struggled with losing their pet and provide a sentimental piece of memorabilia."

Jen McGregor said correctly replicating the colours in a dog's coat can take time (Supplied: Jen McGregor)

'Get the eyes right'

Pet portraiture is a painstakingly slow style of art.

Not only is there intricate detail in the animal's face, the fur and colours present major challenges.

"The whole drawing hinges on the eyes — if you don't get the eyes right and the expression, the rest of the drawing is flat," McGregor said.

Douglas said his decision to work with graphite means he can focus on the "light, tone and texture of each animal".

"But the most challenging part is definitely the delicacy of the fur and the facial features like the iris, nose and mouth," he said.

 "Just these elements can take several hours to perfect."

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