Inspiration from Pets

I am a project person. No matter what I have going on with work or The Singular Fortean Society, I always need to have one or more personal projects going on. This past fall, I started a design project inspired by our dog, Bullett, and eventually added our newly-adopted cat, Monty.

Being a pet owner is probably one of the best roles I've taken on. These silly, furry, loving companions bring so much happiness into my everyday life. Even though the weather is below zero right now, I look forward to the morning walk with the dog through our peaceful neighborhood--taking in the sunlight, and the unique sights (for me) and smells (for Bullett) as we wake up for the day. In owning these animals, I've had a lot of hilarious realizations about them. As an illustrator, why not draw my dog? Why not draw my cat? Why not draw other peoples' cats and dogs, and share visual facts about them?

This project was initially called "Untitled Dogs" and was a collection of illustrated dogs on stock photos of food, and typography designs of hilarious truths about our favorite canines.

Bullett is a wonderful dog in so many ways, but he does have an issue with separation anxiety. The measures that Tobias and I have taken to help this dog be by himself (Special treats, Thundershirts, essential oils, you name it) eventually led up to us getting him a companion to be with him while we are gone for 8 hours a day at work or running errands. Yes, we bought our dog a cat for Christmas. It sounds ridiculous saying it, even now.

We adopted a 6 month old kitten just before Christmas that we named Lord Admiral Montgomery Flufferbutt, better known as Monty. He was scared at first, but he has really turned a corner in two short weeks and has been a fun, friendly addition to our family.

This means that cats and other animals are invading "Untitled Dogs" and the project has evolved into what we are now calling "Enchanted Animals" -- bringing to life the inner color of our animal companions. I will continue to illustrate our pets, the pets of others, and most importantly pets that have yet to be adopted from shelters and rescues. Unless a pet owner does not wish this to be part of their commission, we are hoping to include elements of fantasy and magic with every illustration. I'll have more information available on this website once all the fundamentals are established.

As this project grows, be sure to check out imagery created for the project thus far at the bottom of this post, and check out our merchandise shop for these original designs. Monty (@monty_flufferbutt) and Bullett (@bullett_pointermix) have their own Instagram accounts, of course. Why wouldn't they?

Sincerely,

The Girl in the Unicorn Pajamas