Breed Illustration and Portraiture

Jo van Kampen has been a professional artist for 23 years, specialising in dogs and horses.  She has produced work for the prestigious Sally Mitchell company, who specialise in high quality limited editions.  One of Jo's works, "Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed", became the company's top-selling print and sold out in record time. It was reported by the Daily Telegraph that Prince William bought a print of "Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed"as a gift for a family member.

Breed Standard Illustrations

Musculature ©British Great Dane Club	Mastiff ©Old English Mastiff Club

Jo is now combining her artistic talents with her deep understanding of anatomy and structure to produce pen and ink illustrations for Breed Standards.  Jo has produced a portfolio of illustrations for the Old English Mastiff Club and is currently working on illustrations for the British Great Dane Club.

Words will always leave room for a personal interpretation whilst images of what is correct and what constitutes a fault in the particular Breed avoids misunderstanding.  A comprehensive gallery of Breed Standard illustrations is a permanent addition to your Club archive and an investment in the Breed's future.

Jo is currently working on an Illustrated Breed Standard for the American Manchester Terrier club.

The number of drawings required to illustrate different breeds vary, but up to 50 is usual.  For 48 detailed anatomical images the rate is £2,500.  All commissions are tailored to the particular requirements of the client and rates adjusted accordingly.

Kennel Club Breed Illustrations

TThe English Kennel Club has commission Jo to produce illustrations for the official Breed Standards. 

The breed studies were commissioned by the Kennel Club in 2006 in a contract requiring Jo to produce around 250 separate illustrations of all the current registered dog breeds. This mammoth task is almost complete, with just the undocked examples of the usually docked breeds left. 

They are in pen and ink with a colour overlay of pastel; a selection were displayed at Crufts in 2007.

Private Commissions Jo accepts commissioned work of all types - the Portfolio page of her website has some of her work; the first eight are private commissions.  Jo works from photographs, which she likes to take herself if possible; typically prices start at £350 for a head study.  Rest your cursor on the image of Seamus (right) to enlarge. The gallery features some of Jo's work and there are many more examples on her website.  Jo can be contacted on 0(44)1833 631 701 or 07949 594154, or by email.