Friday Finds...Mark Scheibmayr

Ok everyone, this is my favourite Friday find to date! I am so excited to introduce all my Rover family to my super talented friend Mark Scheibmayr. We met years back when we both worked at a museum in Toronto and bonded over our shared loved for nerdy museum collection work, and of course all things dogs! So, when I found out he was turning his hobby of drawing into a profession and offering lovely custom portraits of people's furry friends, I couldn't resist having him create this portrait of my girl Ella. Not only does he create amazing pet portraits, but he has also done a ton of illustrative work for editorial sites and big companies. Check out his full portfolio by clicking here and read below to find out more about Mark and his work.

PS - stay tuned, on Monday we will be announcing a huge give-away on Instagram that you don't want to miss!!

Tell us a little about yourself:
I went to school for archaeology and then museum studies. My day job now is an exhibit designer/assistant curator at a museum, but I also worked for a while as a coordinator at a not-for profit professional graphic design association. I also love cycling, and am pretty obsessed with my dog, Daisy. And drawing!

What lead you to start working on dog portraits and your illustrative work?
I would always make friends hand-drawn cards for special occasions, and if they had a pet or liked a certain type of dog/cat, etc. I would usually draw that in a silly hat. I guess I got a lot of practice because drawing dogs ended up being what I am best at.

What is your process when drawing?
It always starts with a pencil sketch that I can show to a client for feedback. After that it's drawing over the sketch in ink, and then a layer of watercolour. I also make sure I ask for a little info on the pet I am drawing. I like to hear about their personalities, and as someone who often goes on and on about his own dog, I understand people like to talk about their fur babes :)

What are your tools of choice?
I'm not super picky besides making sure I use acid-free paper and archival pens (it's my museum training). Artwork should last a long time.

What artists influence your work most?
I've taken inspiration from all kinds of people over the years. Instagram's been a great way to get exposed to a lot of new and really inspiring artwork. A few of my recent favourites would be Ego Rodriguez, Cris Clapp Logan and Polina Bright. You should follow them, and me! (Follow Mark on instagram: @scheib_art)

What is a little known fact you would like to share?
Bookkeeping is the only English word that has three consecutive double letters... oh you meant about me? I suppose a little known fact about me is that I can play "The Boy Is Mine" on the oboe.

How can people contact you for custom work?
I sell my portraits through Etsy. My shop is called ScheibShack... which is actually my dog's last name (a combo of my last name and my partner's). Feel free to contact me through there or my website -  markscheibmayr.com