ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE :
HARRIET BLASKETT
AN ANIMAL LOVER BY BIRTH AND AN ARTIST BY MISTAKE , HARRIET BLASKETT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN A SIMPLE ANIMAL PORTRAIT ARTIST . HER SKILL , ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND LOVE FOR WHAT SHE DOES ALLOWS HER TO CAPTURE THE PERSONALITY AND SOUL OF EVERY CREATURE SHE DRAWS . WE SAT DOWN WITH HER TO FIND OUT HOW SHE CREATES THESE MASTERPIECES WITH A FEW SIMPLE COLOURED PENCILS .
© Rachael Robinson
Where did your love of art come from ?
I always enjoyed art when I was at school but it was never something I considered pursuing . Every now and again as an adult I had an urge to create something , but my real love for art began in 2020 when a two-week break from work coincided with the first lockdown . I found a sketch I ’ d done of my horse a few years before and shared it on my Facebook page . A school friend liked it and asked me to draw hers . I have no idea why I decided to attempt it in coloured pencils that had remained untouched for years but I did , and my two weeks off was spent drawing . I haven ’ t put my pencils down since !
Tell us a little about your process .
Choosing the right reference photo is really important . Sometimes it ’ s really easy and there ’ s a favourite photo that ’ s high quality and we ’ re good to go ; other times we look through quite a lot before deciding . All of my portraits are 100 % coloured pencil ; I really enjoy working on highly detailed drawings and a pencil stroke is like a single hair so they ’ re fantastic for achieving the realism that I love . I think so much of the soul comes from getting the eyes right and my favourite thing to draw is an eye with a beautiful reflection .
The way you ' re able to capture the soul of your subject is amazing . How do you think you manage that ?
That is always my ultimate goal . A physical likeness is essential , but to capture their soul is what brings a portrait to life , and it ’ s what makes your pet so special and unique . I always ask about the personality of the pet or horse I ’ m drawing ; what do they enjoy and any funny little stories or special memories customers can share with me . Luckily , we all love talking about our pets so it usually doesn ’ t take long to really feel like I know them .
You clearly have a real love of animals , where do you think that stems from ?
We always had a house full of pets when I was growing up . We are a family of animal lovers and being around them has always been very natural and comfortable . The picture I use for my business and my social media profiles is a memorial portrait I did for our rescue dog , Monty . Having his picture in our house brings back so many happy memories and I always hope that the portraits I create will keep other people ' s beloved pets with them forever too .
What are your artistic goals ; where would you like to be in 10 years ?
Hopefully still creating animal portraits ! I love what I do and always want to be doing the best that I possibly can . One of the great things about art is that there ’ s so much potential for development . I learn something from every drawing I do and looking back I can really see how my style has developed and my skills have improved , so I ’ m excited to see what I can achieve in the future .
Where can we see more of your work ?
You can find my work on Instagram : hb _ pet _ portraits , Facebook : HB . petportraits , or via my website : harrietblaskett . com .
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