Paw-tist’s pet-perfect strokes
East London animal lovers have been commissioning graphic artist Tehila Hughes to capture the essence of their pets on canvas, and the talented young creative does exactly that . . to the last whisker
THE GLEAM of a whisker, a subtle snooter freckle, a variety of pink hues on a panting tongue or the velvety softness of an ear – not one detail escapes the paintbrush of East London pet portrait artist Tehila Hughes.
Hughes, 29, is a qualified graphic artist, but moonlights as a fine artist, capturing not only the exact aesthetic qualities of the animal she paints, but their spirit as well.
Born in South Africa to missionary parents who gave her a Jewish name as a tribute to their first meeting in a kibbutz, she is a self-confessed perfectionist although it is not a label that sits easy with her.
“I suppose I am a bit of a perfectionist because I mimic what I see and try to get as close to a photo as possible. So for example it will not just be any Siamese cat, but a specific one.”
In order to produce an exact replica of her clients’ beloved pet, Hughes insists on a digital photograph of the subject so she can zoom in and study the intricacies of every animal’s distinctive colouration and personality and then begin to clone them with the careful strokes of her watercolour brush.
“I don’t just see flat colour, but I see lots of colours in the fur,” she says.
“I’m also very good with the eyes which are also made up of different colours and I capture each animal’s personality by the shape of its eyes or the roundness of the face through shading.”
One of her first forays into pet portraiture was her own little tabby cat called Coral, which flits in and out of the sunny little Vincent garden flat the artist shares with boyfriend Drikus Greeff.
“Look at Coral,” she says, scooping up the pretty almond-eyed cat. “She has tiny little dots on her nose.”
Sure enough, above the pinkrimmed little nostrils are indeed a sprinkling of little black spots – both on the real-life pet which lifts its head for chin tickles and on the painting framed on the artist’s desk.
Other examples of Hughes’s pet portrait work are also extraordinary. There are cantankerous bulldogs, soulful dachshunds, eager-toplease labradors and bossy Jack Russells. All of these commissioned by humans wanting to demonstrate their love and preserve their animal’s faces for years to come.
Hughes knew she loved art and, as a child growing up in Taiwan, excelled in the subject at the American international school she attended.
“There were many art classes on offer and so I did as many as possible, including oil painting, sketching, Chinese painting, pottery and mosaics and really enjoyed them.
“It was a good space for me because as a teenage girl you struggle with your self-image. I was average, but when it came to art I was above average. I was never good at sport but I excelled in art and remember always getting A’s for it. For me it was a confidence booster.”
Back in South Africa following two gap years – one in Australia and another in Port Elizabeth as a church youth counsellor – Hughes began to study psychology through correspondence.
“But I realised I didn’t want to be a psychologist because what I really loved was art and being creative.”
Hughes enrolled at NMU, and following her mother’s advice, specialised in graphic design.
“My mom said graphic design was more career-based, so I graduated with a four-year BTech in graphic design in 2013.
Since then, this unassuming young creative worked for design agencies in Port Elizabeth before relocating to East London to be with her process engineer boyfriend.
Encouraged by an artist friend to go back to her fine art roots, Hughes developed a pretty floral wreath logo and named her business Teebird Designs after a nickname she picked up in her youth.
And, inspired by Vincent van Gogh, her work plays with flecks of colour and is whimsical, accessible and decorative.
Besides pet portraits she also creates unique watercolour proteas and succulents, the fashionable and waterwise plants of the moment.
“I have a succulent garden and love them because they are so individual, plump and colourful.”
Hughes has become a well-known installation at the city’s craft markets and bridal fairs where she sells prints of her work and gathers commissions from animal lovers keen for her to capture their pets on canvas.
So personalised is Hughes flawless work that she has committed some of it to her own body.
A winsome poppy snakes up her lower arm.
“When a good friend left for the States and I left PE for East London, we decided to have a friendship tattoo done. She has a colour version of this poppy and I have the line drawing.
“I thought that since I am an artist I should design our tattoo.”
Examples of Tehila Hughes’ work can be seen on her Facebook page Teebird Designs and her Instagram account Teebird_88.