Latest dog illustration 🐕

Last month, one of my friends ran a contest for her clients and asked if I wanted to participate with a giveaway. I agreed, and the winner asked for an illustration of her sister's dog that passed away recently, and wanted to give her a nice gift. 

So, from the picture she sent me, this is the illustration I came up with. She received it and told me her sister loved it. This is what she had to say:

My sister loved it  I will definitely be recommending your services if someone needs a pet illustration!

And, yes, the message came with the hearts 😉.

The truth of it is, January was a strange month for me. I had set my goals at the end of December for what I wanted to accomplish for 2021, so I started organizing my lists and the tasks I needed to do, but I had a hard time getting started. I felt tired (emotionally tired), overwhelmed with everything going on around me and a bit fearful, so I had a bit of a hard time getting this illustration done. When I was finished, I wasn't even sure it was good enough. I shared it on social media and got good feedback, but not until I got the message from the person who had asked for the illustration of her sister's dog did I feel like I had accomplished what I had set out to do with this project. It felt good. Not because I felt validated, but because I had brought some joy to someone who had recently lost their dog. 

January also marked seven years since I lost my last dog. And it's only now, recently, that I am starting to feel like I am ready for another pup. I walk in the park near my house and see people with their dogs, I watch The Dodo videos of dogs and I think: "It might be time." I love my cat and I am so, so grateful for her, but I also love dogs and I think that pets can benefit from living together. 

This is my lost pet. 

She was precious to me. 

So, if you or anyone you know has had and loved a pet and lost it, you know what kind of emptiness is left when they are gone. 

Being able to do a little thing like an illustration to bring some of the joy their pet brought to their lives, is one of the things I love most about what I do. 

Wishing you all a great and happy day!

Thank you again for reading!