Meet the Artist

My name is Gillian Johnson and I am a pet portrait artist and teacher based in Scotland. My love for animals started at a very young age. I was forever begging my parents for more pets to bring home to “the zoo” and driving my family nuts with all the squeaking, squawking, rustling and meowing from the furry, feathery and scaly critters I collected over the years. At the age of 10 I was introduced to horse riding and my lifelong fiery passion for everything equestrian was sparked.

As I moved through my teen years I took a real interest in drawing, I began drawing Disney characters (mainly just the animals of course) and occasionally trying out a “realistic” animal. Through high school I continued to improve my art skills before finally being accepted into University to study Community Arts, specialising (of course) in Visual Arts.

In 2012 I graduated with my BA (Hons) and went on to achieve my PGDE in Secondary School Art Teaching. For the next decade I focused not on myself, but on shaping the young Artists and Designers of the future. It was only by chance that a friend got in touch to ask if I did drawings of pets. At this point I thought “Why not?”, it was a perfect opportunity for me to merge my love for animals and art, thus, Johnson Portraiture was born! I am currently studying a Masters in Illustration to further expand my skills and creativity.

I am a strong believer that with every drawing I create, I learn something new. This is a sentiment I continue to share both in my pet portraits, studies and my teaching.