Course Prices
Inside UK
£400.00
Outside UK
£425.00
Instalments UK & International
£400.00 in 4 instalments at £100.00 each
International students will not be supplied with a paper copy
Pet Portraits Diploma Online Art Course
Tutored by Heather Jolliffe
Learn to capture the charm, character, and likeness of beloved pets in this intensive online diploma course. From the sparkle in a dog’s eye to the texture of a horse’s mane, you’ll master the skills needed to create lifelike pet portraits with confidence — all with personalised tutor feedback.
Who is this course for?
- Artists with some prior drawing experience who want to focus on animal and pet portraits
- Students looking to refine their painting and drawing skills across a range of media
- Hobbyists or aspiring professionals considering pet portrait commissions
Beginners with some basic drawing skills are welcome — the course starts with a drawing refresher before moving into more advanced exercises.
What to Expect
- Comprehensive guidance on graphite, coloured pencils, watercolours, and other media
- Step-by-step lessons on drawing and painting fur, eyes, noses, and other tricky details
- Techniques for capturing a pet’s personality and accurate likeness
- Guidance on creating multi-pet compositions and adding natural backgrounds
- Optional advice on starting a pet portrait business and accepting commissions
The course is typically completed within one year, but you have up to two years for full flexibility.
What You’ll Learn
- Fundamental drawing skills and how to apply them to animal subjects
- Techniques for rendering fur textures, highlights, and shadows
- Creating realistic eyes and facial expressions to bring your portraits to life
- Composing single and multi-pet portraits, including backgrounds
- Using digital tools to plan layouts and enhance your workflow
🖼️ Student Gallery
Explore the incredible pet portraits created by our students: Visit the Pet Portraits Diploma Gallery →
❤️ Student Feedback
“Thoroughly enjoyed the course which did tax me in places.”
“I really enjoyed the course. Despite taking 18 months to complete, it was great that I could progress at my own pace. I would highly recommend it and am already choosing another course!”
“I very much appreciate how my tutor provided positive feedback — the criticism was always secondary to the encouragement.”
“I really enjoyed this course. My confidence has really grown and I can see my pet portraits improving with every piece I complete.”
Students are able to upload their artwork to the 'The Art Room' on our website. Each student is
given a unique username and password on enrolment for their own private area in
The Art Room.
Students can upload their artwork for the tutor to collect and
critique. The tutor will then upload feedback for the student to download. If
you do not have facilities to upload your artwork, you can mail your artwork to
the tutors centre and receive your artwork back with your critique.
It is essential you label all
packages/artwork with your student number.
All our courses are written to be your comprehensive guide into
each of their subject matters. We understand that students appreciate
clarification about various aspects of their work from a course tutor, whom
provide reassurance that techniques are put into practice effectively.
Each courses has its own dedicated Tutor. The tutor keeps the
course up to date and relevant to today's students. They are available to the
individual student for advice and encouragement. Each course has regular
exercises and assignments that are constructed in such a way as to give the
student the opportunity to practice the techniques learnt on the course and to
test themselves as they go along. Students are encouraged to submit the
assignment work to the college for the tutor to critique.
Coursework can be submitted online, as digital photographs, in your individual art room account and the tutor will upload their critique for you to download and retain forever.
On many courses the assignment work may be suitable for inclusion in a student's Portfolio of Work that could be very useful later. The college will use the assignments submitted as the basis for your award of a diploma.
On successful completion of this course you will have studied new skills and gained knowledge for your own enjoyment and development.
The college does not provide materials with its courses as most students can obtain what they will need locally at lower cost.
Pencils and Paper
For the first section of the course you will need some good quality drawing paper and a range of graphite pencils. We would suggest the use of 2b, 6b and 8b pencils on good quality cartridge paper.
Coloured Pencils
Coloured pencils can either be bought singularly, or in sets. There are many brands of coloured pencils to choose from. Some are more soft and waxy than others. The course gives a brief introduction to the main brands available which will help you in your decision. Use a smooth paper for the coloured pencils, try hot pressed watercolour paper, nothing too shiny.
Pastels
Pastels can be purchased in sets and in colour ranges. If you are going to be drawing pets, we would recommend the brown tonal range. Art shops have many varieties of pastel papers and all are suitable for using with pastels.
Acrylic Paints
Purchase tubes separately with the basic colour range. You can paint acrylics on any surface from cardboard to newspaper and we provide information about paper in the course.
Oil Paints
We suggest using the basic simple range of 8 colours, you should be able to get all the colours you need from this range. We recommend using water-based oils for the course, and information about the brands and canvas are in the course itself. Purchase tubes individually and the colours we recommend are:
- Black
- White
- Naples Yellow
- Indian Red
- Burnt Umber
- French Ultra Marine
- Yellow Ochre
- Crimson
Brushes
Brushes are a little more difficult to recommend as all brands use different sizes. Test a variety of brands to see which you prefer, the course will give information on brush types.
| Media: Equipment used | Subject: Areas covered | Techniques: Skills developed |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Click the download button below to view a pdf sample course page which will open in a new tab. Alternatively right click and save the file. Please be patient for it to load.
Below are a few images from the course itself. The course was initially written and illustrated by professional pet portraits artist Melanie Phillips.
Below are a few images from the course.
I have just submitted my final assignment and awaiting my feedback. I have thoroughly enjoyed the course. Gayle has been an amazing tutor and has really improved my confidence. I have learnt so much from her feedback (which is very thorough and in depth) and taken everything onboard that she has told me. As a mature student (60 this year), it proves you are never to old to learn new things. It has been great!
I enjoyed my time on this course and would recommend it to my friends in the future.
I loved this course it really gave me confidence and Heather's comments were always really constructive, informative and also really kind. It has really made me think and look at things in a different way before I even set pencil to paper and I love this change in how I work. It has improved my skills greatly. Thank you so much Heather and the London Art College. I am so chuffed and proud with my Diploma
Thoroughly enjoyed the course which did tax me in places.
I really enjoyed the course and found Gayle an excellent tutor. Despite taking 18 months to complete the course it was great that I was able to do that and that my tutor remained the same throughout. I would highly recommend your courses and I am already choosing another. Thank you
I very much appreciate how my tutor provided positive feedback - the criticism was always secondary to notes of how the work was successful
I have a very good time with Madame Gayle Mason. She is very responsible and teach me seriously.
I really enjoyed this course. I have improved on my pet portraits so much, I can look at work from 6 months ago and can see immediately where I have improved. My confidence has really grown and I am hoping to put my new found skills to good use shortly. Gayle Mason was my tutor and I found her feedback and comments extremely valid and informative. I always looked forward to hearing from her as I knew she would be able to guide me towards more accurate portraits. My thanks go to her and the college.