In a world increasingly filled with AI-generated images, it’s refreshing to come across artwork created entirely by hand, by a real person who takes the time to capture the details that make each pet unique. That’s exactly what drew us to the work of Chantal Madeline, the Ontario artist behind Art by Chantal Madeline.
Based in Mount Brydges, Ontario, Chantal has loved drawing for as long as she can remember. She originally started by drawing portraits of people for fun, and friends and family soon began asking her to create portraits for them.
In 2013, a coworker asked Chantal to draw their black Labrador, Blue. She had never drawn a pet before, but decided to give it a try—and was instantly hooked. She loved the challenge of drawing fur and capturing Blue’s expression, and she has been drawing pets ever since.
For more than 10 years, Chantal has specialized in realistic, hand-drawn pet portraits, working primarily in graphite, coloured pencil, and watercolour. She has created more than 200 pet portraits for people who want to celebrate the animals they love.
Each portrait is drawn from a photograph and focuses on capturing the little details that make each pet unique. Her favourite part is hearing a client say, “That looks exactly like them!” That’s always her goal.
Chantal shares her home studio with her three very spoiled cats, who are never far from her drawing table and remain a constant source of inspiration.
She creates pet portraits for clients across Canada and internationally. Whether she’s drawing a beloved family pet or creating a memorial portrait, Chantal feels incredibly lucky to create artwork that helps people celebrate and remember the animals they love.
