A series of watercolor doggie doodles has launched a blossoming side gig for a Seattle artist.
Kenna Little, a Program Coordinator at Seattle Children’s Hospital, was recovering from an ankle injury last summer and was looking for a hobby to fill the time that she’d normally spend hiking or trail running.
“I find a lot of peace and purpose through movement, and so it was really hard to not have that,” she said. “I wanted to try something different. Early in the pandemic, I had bought a watercolor kit, and so I broke that back out.”
Little said she started painting and drawing, not knowing what she was doing.
“I didn’t even know what art should look like,” she said. “So, I just started with the thing I know the best, which is my dogs. I just kind of started drawing them in all of these outdoor settings and things that I wish I could be doing without my injury. And then it just kind of evolved from there.”
Little’s dogs are Maggie and Addie, but they have the nicknames Spice and Noodle.
“It became the adventures of Spice and Noodz, where they’re out sky diving and snorkeling and summiting Rainier and doing all these things,” she said.
She started an Instagram account for her artwork called Poorly Painted Northwest and was surprised at how many people responded to it.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I just did it for my own motivation and kind of some accountability, and then as people started to enjoy it, then you get some confidence or you just get excited to share and be able to connect with people,” she said.
Her Instagram page has the tagline: “Made with love, but not a lot of skill.”
“I didn’t want the pressure of needing it to be perfect, since I don’t consider myself artistic or I never have before this,” Little said.
Her tagline is a humorous disclaimer to admit, OK, the art isn’t flawless.
“You know, like the lines aren’t going to be straight. There’ll probably be a smudge in the paint, but I really do approach each of the paintings, especially when it’s other people’s dogs and other people’s pets, with so much love and tenderness,” she said. “It started kind of as a joke or as a disclaimer, and then it’s really become my whole premise.”
The first dog art Little painted was for her partner’s sister.
“That is one of the earliest pictures on my Instagram page, and it is pretty poorly painted,” she said. “It’s poorly, poorly drawn, and it’s just evolved since then, and it’s funny, even over the course of a few months, how you do get better and you figure out what your style is.”
It wasn’t long before more people asked her to draw their dogs.
“It’s really fun to just kind of try to find their essence and capture that and just focus on the little quirks that make them special,” she said.
Little has created adorable artwork of Eugene the Senior Dog and his doggie siblings for their merch.
“Eugene and the rest of the dogs are just such a little staple of joy in my life, so that was an easy one for me to try to do. So I did these small little cards, just best of Eugene, best of Gus, best of Emma,” she said.
She posted those works on Instagram and tagged Eugene the Senior Dog (now called Adopt Old Dogs) Instagram.
“I just kind of wanted to say your dogs bring me joy and I hoped that I could kind of make them smile,” she said. “And then they reached out and asked if I would send it to them.”
Little also partnered with her neighborhood bookstore to make a set of bookmarks.
Little is making a small income from her art, but for now, she is open for commissions (contact her via Instagram) on a pay-what-you-can model.
“Just because I enjoy doing it so much,” she said.
Little has some advice for people who may be interested in flexing their artistic muscles.
“Just start! You don’t have to be good; you don’t have to be perfect,” she said. “So much joy comes from creating something, and if you can share it with people, online or in your circles, it can be a great avenue for connection. We are all trying to balance so much, whether it’s work, school, family life, or the devastation on the news. Art can be a way to process what is happening or simply prioritize moments of peace amidst the chaos.”
Learn more about Poorly Painted Northwest here.
Susan Wyatt is a freelance writer for Seattle Refined, specializing in pets, gardening and all-around swell stuff in the PNW.
