Introducing Abi Purrington Dog Inspired Illustrator and Designer

Abi Purrington has been very busy designing lots of beautiful dog themed products so we wanted to find out more about her and what was the inspiration behind her creations?

Tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to create dog inspired products?

In 2002 I moved to New York with my husband and was lucky enough to attend the Art Students League School for nearly 2 years. During afternoons walking around Central Park I realised how much New Yorkers love their dogs and so I was inspired to set up a small business painting pastel dog portraits. It was so successful that when we moved back to London I carried on painting and 3 children later the business has changed slightly but still has the same focus on our furry four legged friends.

Who is the inspiration behind your designs?

I was encouraged to change discipline to pen and ink illustration by a wonderful tutor I had during a class I attended at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. I fell in love with the fluidity and freedom of using inks with a dip pen and got a bit addicted! My first few initial doggie sketches turned into sketchbooks full of them and when I had too many to fit on the shelf I realised I had to do something with them. I haven’t had any product design training but found my drawings naturally formed themselves into designs and once I started designing things I couldn’t stop!

What is the name of your dog and how has he inspired your products?

My beautiful Dalmatian Mickey is now 7 years old and he has been a hugely important part of our families’ life. I have a range of spotty dog themed products inspired my him! I also find my best ideas and most creative thinking happens on a long dog walk in the woods.

What is so appealing about Dalmatians?

Gorgeous to look at, family friendly, energetic and playful Dalmatians are fun family dogs although if you turn your back for a second they will eat anything and everything (including whole packs of butter and Christmas cake!)

Do you have any plans for new designs or product ranges in the future? 

I have plans to expand my greeting card range with more seasonal designs as well as more breeds like Pugs and Bulldogs. I also have plans to extend my product ranges including notebooks, more mugs, aprons and maybe oven gloves…watch this space!