My name is Thomas Clausen. I’m a young guy living in Denmark and presently finishing up my master thesis in architecture. In September 2014 I started drawing every day. So far I’ve made hundreds of drawings, and I have learned a lot.

Since I’ve set out on my journey of drawing every day, I’ve drawn everything from perspectives, landscapes, still lifes, architecture and portraits, but the subject that I’ve had the most success with is animals. Drawing the portrait of a cat or a dog involves something that is also essential in human portraiture – something that makes the picture come alive, and makes us recognize it as that four- (or two-) legged friend we know and love. There’s a great difference between seeing a portrait that looks like someone and a portrait that clearly is that someone. Some of it is in the eyes – some of it is in the posture – but a big part of it, you just can’t put your finger on! My goal is not to create a “photograph-like” representation of your pet – granted, a great photo is a work on art in itself – but what I like to do, is paint or draw your pet the way I see it – I make an interpretation rather than a copy, and then put some of your pet’s “being” back into the picture.

But why pet portraits? I’ve always loved animals. There’s something uncomplicated and inspiring about the relationship one can have with an animal. Each one has its own distinct personality, habits and likes or dislikes. These are all qualities that we normally characterize as “human”, which is almost ironic when you think about how some dogs react upon its owners return from work. The emotion is almost overpowering!
People often ask me if I have any pets – and some are surprised when I reply that i Don’t! I believe that if you have a pet, you need to commit to it, and since I often travel and work late, I’ve decided that a pet would be better off with someone who is capable of providing what the animal needs. I did have pets when I was a kid, though. At our house, we had cats, dogs, rabbits, hamsters, three types of parrots and a chicken coop in the backyard. I even had a pet chicken who followed me around in the garden at some point.

You can see everything that I’ve drawn up until today on my blog One Drawing Daily. I also post quite frequently on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook where I’d be honored if you’d follow me!

Other than art, I also write about language learning on my other blog “My Love of Mornings”

The site that you’re on now, is my online portfolio. This is where I’ll post my best work – mostly commissioned pieces, and should you be interested either in buying a piece that’s for sale, or commissioning a drawing for yourself, please don’t hesitate in contacting me!

I’m always happy to take part in blog interviews, features, and similar – just ask!

Gem