20 Pet Portraits in 40 days (what I did for my #DoThe20Challenge)

[Victoria-NRAS]

Hi all. Hopefully by now many of you are aware of the #DoThe20Challenge that we are currently running here at NRAS, in honour of our charity being 20 years old this year. It's a great opportunity for fundraising, because there are so many possibilities (you just have to do 20 of something). If any of you are considering taking part and are looking for ideas, I thought this video might help to inspire my fellow creatives, or it may just be nice to see lots of images of lovely pets!

I completed my 20 Challenge over the Summer, having given myself the task of painting 20 pet portraits in 40 days. I had no idea whether I was capable of this. Paintings for me have normally been done slowly, over days or weeks. I also had my 2 children and the school holidays to contend with, so much of my painting had to be done in evenings and lunch hours. Basically, whenever I COULD paint I HAD to paint.

Prior to the challenge, I hadn't done 20 pet portraits in TOTAL, though I had done a few, so this was a big step up for me. In my spare time I love to craft, and have a craft channel on YouTube, but I don't normally stick to one thing for this long, so it took dedication.

I'm pleased to say that I met and even exceeded my target. I'm really proud of myself for taking this on and I loved that my challenge was so rewarding, because I got the lovely reactions from all the people I painted for. So, for any who are interested, here is my video of the 23 paintings I ended up doing in 36 days for NRAS. I hope it sparks some crafty ideas for you, whether you use those ideas for a fundraiser or just for fun!

youtu.be/yRzFKld5ib8(Not working as expected?)

To learn more about the #DoThe20Challenge, see this page on the NRAS website:

nras.org.uk/dothe20/

[Neonkittie17]

Well done! Such hard work. Beautiful too. I’m an artist but can only draw cats really re animals .. and insects/bees! I draw just about every thorn else though. Your images look really lovely. 😍

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to Neonkittie17]

Thank you! You may surprise yourself! When someone asked me to paint a horse, I panicked, then they showed me a photo and it was white and I panicked some more, but managed to paint it (and actually, the one I did for this challenge was my 2nd white horse painting).

Bees are lovely to draw in detail. I should draw/paint more bees! Thank you for your kind comments. 🙂

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Victoria-NRAS]

You’re welcome! 💗 I chose bees as my final year visual subject matter and for my final exhibition work for my MA Printmaking a few years ago as my theoretical subject was about cloning and collectives. I love bees and love drawing them. ( My last attempt at drawing a horse looked more likely a wooden legged dog! ) Painting with white is hard too. Well done, again. 👏🏻

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to Neonkittie17]

The nearest I've done is with my bee hotel, where I used pirography to draw a few basic bees on the sides of the frame for the hotel, and I love taking photos of them. They have such an interesting and pleasing shape and texture.

[Neonkittie17 in reply to Victoria-NRAS]

I did some bee pupae semi abstract screen prints which were designs and referenced bee traits, as well as more traditional bees drawings. We have such a lot of bees in the garden as we’ve many plants and pots. I am always sad when they go each year. I’m always taking photos of them in my flowers too!

[catpurr in reply to Neonkittie17]

I love bees too and spend a great deal of time photographing them. I agree, there are so many around at the moment, I have dahlias and fuchsias and sunflowers on the patio and there are bees all over them. The mahonia keeps them happy in winter, but I too feel sad when they start to disappear. Blackbirds are my other passion so they will keep me happy over the winter. Any chance you can post a photo of your bee prints for us to see?

[Neonkittie17 in reply to catpurr]

I will soon but I’m not able to at the mo. Thank you and glad you enjoy seeing bees and birds too. 💗

[Kerensa21]

They are lovely, you’re v talented. I’ve always assumed 20 challenge had to be something sporty/physical, so inspiring too (not saying they weren’t hard work btw ☺️). Love your little dog Daisy too x

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to Kerensa21]

Thank you. I wanted to post this partly because I know sport/exercise is commonly associated with fundraising, which is great for those who can do it/have the inclination to, but that's not always possible and wouldn't suit everyone. The 20 challenge can be absolutely anything. It just has to be enough of a challenge that people will want to sponsor it. The great thing about doing something like this was that, although a few close friends and family did sponsor me, most of the money was raised through people paying for their paintings. I charged £5 to cover some of my costs. It didn't completely cover canvas, paint and postage, but I couldn't quite afford to not have that covered at all. A further £10 from each went to NRAS and some generously gave more than the suggested amount.

My dog Daisy is by my side now as I type (snoring, I might add). She is 15, so getting on a bit, and quite likes to sit with me and keep me company when I'm painting or crafting! 🙂

[Kerensa21 in reply to Victoria-NRAS]

Thanks Victoria: lovely paintings, and dog x

[patsymay13]

Your very talented, x

[Vonnie10]

Amazing talent .. x

[Downtime]

Wow beautiful paintings ! Well done, especially in such a short time x

[VeronicaF]

WOW!!! Outstanding beautiful paintings!! Well done!!

[sylvi]

Congrsatulations darling your so very good at what you do with your art.xxxxx

[Chockyuk]

Wow, they’re incredible.What a talented lady you are 😊

[Mmrr]

Fabulous, a great challenge

[Plumcrumble]

They're wonderful, I paint watercolours and I know how long they take, time flys, well done 👍 💕

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS]

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and to those of you who have shared a bit about the art that you create. I think it's a really rewarding thing to do, whether you do it as a job or a hobby. I've never been able to tie myself down to one craft. There are just too many that I want to do, which is why I set up my YouTube channel, to encourage myself to keep trying new things. It also helps having little ones who are always happy to receive my home made items. Actually pushing myself to stick to just one of those things was a challenge in itself, but it's really improved my confidence as a painter and it was very rewarding. Good luck to anyone else considering a 20 challenge, or just thinking of trying some arts and/or crafts.

[stbernhard]

Absolutely fantastic! Wonderful! I love them all! What a talent. I really want to make a donation. Have you a JustGiving Page?

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to stbernhard]

That's very kind. Yes, I did set up a 'GoFundMe' page for donations, or if easier you can always donate directly to NRAS through the NRAS website.

If you want to donate specifically to my challenge, my GoFundMe page is: gofund.me/f3acb010

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to stbernhard]

I just wanted to say thank you so much for your donation. I really appreciate you taking the time, being so generous and saying such lovely words about my challenge. 🙂

[stbernhard in reply to Victoria-NRAS]

You are more than welcome. You did something wonderful.

[Hidden]

You did such an amazing job doing all these beautiful paintings and bringing such joy to the pet owners, I absolutely love mine and Tigger looks more lifelike in the painting than in the picture! It moved me to tears it was such a wonderful painting. Thank you

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Tracy, that's such lovely feedback. I've previously only tended to paint for people as a surprise, which meant I got to choose the photo and decide if it was something I felt I could paint, so it was a little different having to basically be able to paint anything, but it was a good test of skill and it's made me more confident with my art.

[Green230461]

You have got a fantastic talent! What a great gift you have. Well done with that huge effort 🥰