Welcome to Melanie & Nicholas’ ‘Behind The Scenes’ Art Studio Blog – 2014! We are thrilled to welcome you to our cosy corner of the internet!
As you may already know we are Melanie and Nicholas, the artists behind Melanie & Nicholas Pet Portraits. Our journey into the world of pet portraiture began many years ago when we met at art college and shared love for animals and a desire to capture the unique personalities that make our pets so special.
My first commission was at art college in 1994 and it bought tears to the owners eyes. I was hooked. It felt good to bring happiness to people and so my path was set! Nicholas and I officially started our pet portraits business in 1997. Yes it’s been a long time! If you love animals, art, and behind-the-scenes insights, you’re in the right place!
Blogging Since 2005: Our Artistic Journey
As some of our regular readers may know we had a few technical issues with our old blog. Although it had been running fine on the surface, things were broken behind the scenes with a corrupt database. We were sad to lose all of our posts, however, here we are with a new blog Melanie & Nicholas ‘Behind The Scenes’ Blog! and hope that our viewers and readers enjoy it!
Not sure when blogging actually started but we are very proud to say that we were there near the start. A friend asked us to write a guest post on theirs in 2004. Once we figured out its potential, we thought it would be great to keep a blog for our prospective clients. Hence our old blog was born in 2005. Let’s hope this new one can last longer!
Showcasing Pet Portraits in Progress
I had the idea of showing our portraits in progress to clients on our website back in January 2002. I am proud to say we were one of the first pet portrait artists to start showing the stages on our website.
Nicholas was quite shocked at the thought of showing our work unfinished, but of course it is now quite natural for artists to do this. When we were at art college, fellow students wouldn’t dream of allowing anyone to see their unfinished artwork and illustrations. Times have changed and showing artwork in varying stages is now a regular occurrence online.
When we started our blog, it seemed even more obvious to use that as a daily diary. It meant it could be kept, rather than the images we were adding on the website were being replaced when the paintings or drawings were complete.
Evolution of Our Pet Portraits Website
Both Nicholas and myself were ready and waiting in the infancy of the internet to make a website. We were itching for regular homes to get internet and for people to start using it in their everyday lives. There were no devices back then, no iPads or tablets and when Mobile phones were invented, they were just normal phones. We didn’t have our compact portable laptops either, just huge great big monitors and computer towers.
In 2001 we made a website under the name ‘Artists@Home’ – as that’s what we were! We had made a Learn to Draw and Paint art course and made this website to promote it.
In 2002 we created a dedicated pet portraits site under our business name ‘Red Kite Studios’. We lived in the heart of Red Kite country, where the birds would soar over our home, so it seemed quite apt.
The problem was not many people knew what a red Kite actually was, so in 2003 we decided to get a different domain name www.pet-portrait-artist.com which we felt had the actual words of our business in. We didn’t have it that long though as it was tied to a company called Easyspace who we had our website with at the time. We didn’t want to be with them any longer as they made us have an advert on every page on our website which we felt didn’t look professional.
So by 2005 we had moved to a new domain name – pet-portraitartist.com and a new hosting company and we have been there ever since.
Our Artistic Adventure Continues
Since moving to our cozy cottage in 2007, our artistic journey has continued to evolve. Over the years, we have refined our pet portrait process, ensuring that each painting and drawing we create is a perfect representation to the loved animals we capture. Our passion for hand-drawn and hand-painted pet portraits has only deepened and we take immense pride in creating detailed, lifelike artwork that brings joy to pet owners worldwide.
Today, we have two dedicated websites where you can view our work, our latest commissions, and learn more about our process. But beyond our portfolio, this blog is where we share behind the scenes insights, the artistic techniques we have developed over the years, and glimpses into our life in the beautiful Welsh countryside. We love sharing the stories behind our artwork with you.
Of course, life isn’t just about painting and drawing, it’s also about the moments that inspire us. Our Tibetan Terrier, Lily, is a constant source of joy, keeping us company in the studio while we work. Our hens provide plenty of amusement, adding to the peaceful rhythm of our amazing cottage garden.
We’d love for you to be part of this journey with us! Subscribe to our blog to follow along as we continue creating timeless, handcrafted pet portraits for clients across the globe. Whether you are an art lover, a pet enthusiast, or simply curious about the process behind custom pet artwork, we welcome you to explore, engage, and enjoy.
And, as always, we truly love hearing from you. Feel free to leave a comment, share your thoughts, or reach out anytime. Your support and connection mean the world to us and we are grateful to be able to share our passion with you.
With warmest wishes,
Melanie, Nicholas & Lily the Tibetan Terrier
Melanie & Nicholas Pet Portraits
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