Caged to Save by Erika Neff. All Rights Reserved.

Ever since I was a young child I always loved to draw animals. Over many years and experimenting with different colored pencils and paper types, I have found a personal style of celebrating and representing the natural beauty of animals. I enjoy drawing both wild animals and pet portraits for friends and family. Although my technique has evolved over time, my approach has always been consistent; I work from photos that I have either taken myself (or have been taken by the pet owner when I do pet portraits) to find the best representation of the animal’s personality and appearance. With the right reference photo in hand, I always start with the eyes. If the eyes sparkle and leap off the page, then my portrait will come to life around them. The rest of the piece then takes on a mind and personality of its own.