I draw the animals we love.

I'm Arden — an artist working out of a small studio in East Austin. My days are split between custom pet portraits in pencil, pen and watercolor, and a separate practice of bold graphic collages, prints and wallpapers.

The portraits are slow and quiet. I work from the photographs you love most, layering soft graphite under loose washes of color until something of the animal's character begins to surface on the paper.

The graphic work is the opposite — fast, saturated, a little bit unruly. Cut paper, screen prints and pattern repeats that I scale up into wall-sized pieces, scarves, and silks.

Every piece in the shop ships from Austin. Commissions open seasonally — say hello if you'd like a portrait of your own.