About me

I’m Vanessa, a professional full-time international Pet Portrait and Wildlife artist based in New Zealand and originally from Zimbabwe where I was born.

I have always had a passion for art and a love for animals, from pets to wildlife to anything in between. Having lived in Africa where there’s an amazing diversity of creatures I’ve always been inspired and captivated by their beauty. I was lucky enough to be blessed with a natural talent for drawing which I inherited from my wonderful Father and Grandmother. While I dabbled a bit with drawing as a child until my teenage years, I never really carried it through my adult years. The motion of becoming and adult and having a family seemed to come first. I only got back into my drawing after immigrating to New Zealand in 2016 at the age of 38yr. After almost 20 years of not drawing i had lots of encouragement and support from my husband to picked up a pencil again, and I haven’t looked back. I began drawing much loved pets who either had passed away or were still alive. This in turn helped me get over the pain of having to leave our own animals back in Zimbabwe when moving to New Zealand. I began my art journey using graphite pencils which I just loved using because of how defined the monochrome simplicity of black and white drawings can be. I then progressed into exploring the techniques of colour pencils. Using colour pencils was a whole new journey in it’s self, I had to teach myself how to use and perfect them. It was challenging but rewarding to see how far i have come. Over the last few years, I have honed my skill, and strived to create realistic and detailed drawings. I now absolutely love working with colour pencils.

I have always pushed myself to capture the essence, soul and character of the pet or animal that I draw, that’s why I always start my drawings with the eyes. Once I’m happy with the eyes i know the rest of the drawing will come together perfectly.

If you feel that my artwork will be the right fit for you and that I am the right artist to capture your beloved pet or a custom drawing, please get in touch with me for a commission. I would be truly honoured to draw for you. Thank you in advance for your support and interest. I look forward to working with you.

Kind regards Vanessa Pollen Art