Sarah Bowman
Animal Portrait Artist
A childhood dream to become an animal portrait artist is now reality. Everyday I think how privileged I am to create these portraits which show the love felt for someone special in our lives.
I graduated from Loughborough College of Art where I first started using gouache, and ever since have been developing techniques in gouache and acrylic which help bring out the layers of colour and textures in all kinds of animals. After graduation I designed for over 10 years within the textiles industry where I always steered towards designs which included birds and animals. It was no surprise to everyone around me that I eventually switched to painting portraits and taking on commissions for both people portraits and animal portraits.
Today, I welcome commissions of all animals, and specialise in dog and horse portraiture. My work has been sold across Europe and America, and I have illustrations used by Liberty’s, The Medici Society and Buckingham Fine Art.
“Animals have been the one constant in a life-long love affair with art.”
Paint options from an animal portrait artist
Acrylic and gouache are popular paint choices, and my preferred medium for all animal portraits. While both are water-based paints, there are differences in the physical characteristics and the working methods of each type of paint. I can help you choose which medium will work best for what you are trying to achieve with your animal portrait.
Animal portraits in acrylic
The most common form of acrylic is a plastic latex or emulsion, soluble in water which will adhere to almost any surface, including canvas, wood and paper. I mainly use acrylics on canvas particularly large animal portraits. When I paint in acrylic they are water-soluble giving me plenty of options to create different textures, but once dry, they are waterproof and durable in most environmental conditions.
Animal portraits in gouache
Gouache is simply opaque watercolour and the most common surface for gouache is paper. Once dry, it remains soluble to water, allowing for blending even after the paint has dried. This also means that finished animal portraits in gouache should be protected behind glass.
Horse Portraits
Recreating the grace and power of horses through the medium of paint
