paws up for corrie wessman's animals

It is with great furry pleasure that I introduce you to this wonderful pencil portrait artist based in Chicago, Corrie Wessman.  As she puts it, "My work is minimal and intentionally thoughtful with an underlying tongue in cheek theme."  Her fashion animal work is very much up Mrs. Sizzle's alley so we had to dig a bit further to learn more about these wonderful pictures!

HOW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER?

I made the transition to have art as my full-time gig over a year ago. There were a lot of changes happening in my life.  I didn’t pre-plan to start a creative business, but as things were shifting it just made sense to focus on my art. Since that time, my vision for what I do as an artist and business owner has become increasingly clear. It’s an exciting place to be and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to pursue what I love and share it with other people.

DID YOU HAVE ANIMALS GROWING UP?

I did! And plenty of them. We had dogs, cats, hamsters, snakes, fish, frogs, hermit crabs, you name it! Looking back, my parents did a great job at being open to us kids having pets, especially because our follow through on taking responsibility for our animals was never as enthusiastic as we had originally planned. My parents were often picking up our slack!

DO YOU HAVE ANIMALS NOW?

Sure do. I have one cat, Noreen. She’s a little calico cat I adopted a few years ago from a local shelter. She’s my official studio assistant and often keeps me company by curling up on my lap while I draw.

IF SOMEONE WANTED A CUSTOM PORTRAIT, HOW WOULD YOU DRAW HIS OR HER ANIMAL?

I work off of photographs for all of my custom work. So, I have my customers send in a few photos of their pet, as well as a description of their personality. I’ve found that knowing more about their individual personality really does help to create the best final piece! 

You can find more out about Corrie on her site and on her fabulous instagram feed @cwdrawings