Hi! I’m Christine Mackintosh, an Australian based animal artist. This is me and my kelpie, Molly.

I love drawing dogs. I like drawing all animals, but dogs are pretty special for me. The 101 different facial expressions, how much is said just in the position of their ears and the angle of their head, and of course all the love and loyalty that is captured in their eyes.

I grew up on a sheep and cattle farm in Taihape, New Zealand. We had pet dogs over the years - a tenacious little corgi, a docile and devoted golden retriever, and a motley mixed breed rescue that stole everyone’s hearts.

We always had a consistent team of working dogs too. They lived in a suite of kennels under a big tree, ready to bound out the door at a moments notice and work as hard as they could in the rain, mud, snow and heat. They never complained about the working conditions. They just loved the chance to help you out and do what they did best - herd stock.

As a kid I always felt a bit sad that the working dogs didn’t get the same sort of praise and adoration that our house dogs did. Our golden retriever used to carry the newspaper up from the mailbox and everyone made such a fuss over what a clever dog she was. Yet the working dogs would work in the yards for hours, anticipating every move, pushing sheep up the race, getting around that runaway lamb - they would work so hard, yet most of the time they never even got a “good girl” and a pat.

The only time you got to see how genuinely loved they were and how much they were valued, was when they passed away at the end of their time. I think that might be one of the very few times that I saw my Dad cry - when one of his working dogs died.

So here I am, pencils at the ready, to honour the life of the working dog by creating unique, hand drawn portraits that capture the very essence of your four legged mate.

Much like me, my artwork is real deal. There is nothing fake, no filters, no AI. If you’re after a quick and quirky pop art piece, I am not the one for you.

Dogs are my thing, but of course I’ll also draw horses and chickens and sheep and goats, if that’s your thing and you like my style.