Since Anna has been holding a pencil she has loved to draw and paint animals and flowers. She now creates personalised, one of a kind pet portraits. Anna relishes the challenge of capturing a pets unique personality through her artwork.
After earning a BA degree in graphic design Anna decided to create an Etsy shop for her watercolour paintings and digital clip-arts.
The brains and artistic skill behind Uniqueorn Designs, Anna Pechocova has given us an insight into her inspiration for the business.
It’s so lovely to meet you. Tell us a little bit about Uniqueorn Designs!
Uniqueorn Designs focuses on realistic hand painted artworks. I make pet portraits, but I also sell watercolour clip-arts as digital downloads and prints. My best sellers are watercolour cocktail illustrations, which people often use for their wedding signature drink signs.
Make ours a Pawtini! So what inspired you to start the business?
When I was four, I made a little painting that I wanted to give to my grandpa. As I was showing it to him, he has asked me if I want to gift it to him or sell it to him. Those words are very similar in czech language and since I was so little, I didn’t know what the difference was, so I said “sell”.
The adults laughed at my boldness, and my grandpa handed me a coin and took the painting. I think at that very moment I understood that I can make money by doing something I actually enjoy and that thought had never left me no matter how many times other people tried to convince me otherwise. Making a living by doing art has always been a dream of mine
That is such a cute story. Tell us Anna, what did you do before setting up Uniqueorn Designs?
I spent the most wonderful year of my life volunteering in Wales. That experience truly changed my perspective. I had made many amazing friends and met some truly inspiring people.
One of them, named Adele (yup, the founder of Dog Furiendly). It was her fearlessness in starting her own business focusing on something she is passionate about – dogs, that inspired me to open my Etsy shop.
You have us all crying over here! And what about the name? Where did that come from?
I have always liked unicorns and even used to have a blog dedicated to unicorns when I was about thirteen. I also wanted to create art that is unique. Plus I just liked the word-play.
Who doesn’t love a Unicorn? They’re the best (after dogs of course). Apart from your incredible brand name, what else sets you apart from other artists?
It is incredibly hard to be truly different in the sea of all of the amazing artists that you find online. I focus on providing high quality watercolour portraits and illustrations with realistic style. Currently I am also experimenting with gold and silver colour and celestial objects united with cats.
Ooooh that sounds pretty. So tell us, what is the best thing about being an artist?
The best thing about doing Uniqueorn Designs is when I get a message from a client saying that my painting made their day, or that people at their wedding have commented on the beautiful illustrations. Feedback from my customers always makes me smile, and lets me know that what I do is worthwhile
Such an amazing feeling when you’ve sprinkled happiness into someones life with your work. What’s next for Uniqueorn Designs?
I would love to experiment with making my own art supplies. Starting with inks as it is a bit easier for me to get hold of the stuff that I need for it.
I think it could be really fun to create art using paints that I make myself. Eventually I also wish to experiment with making my own watercolour. As I currently live in Iceland, I had the chance of a lifetime to visit the active volcano and picked up some chunks of fresh lava that are soft enough to hopefully make a powder out of it. If all goes well, maybe I will be doing paintings using actual lava!
That sounds INCREDIBLE. The nearest thing we have to Iceland is a frozen bag of chips. But what a place to get inspiration. Okay then Anna, quickfire. What are some things people probably don’t know about you?
I have lived in five different countries and currently reside in Iceland. I love travelling and getting to know people from different cultural backgrounds. It is truly inspiring to me.
What’s one thing you couldn’t live without?
I think it would be very hard for me to live without being able to do art. Just like people have to eat, sleep, or sing, I have to create!
What’s your favourite destination to visit?
Wales with it’s rugged cliffs and old castles. I have only good memories of it and I cannot wait to visit it again.
Finally! Where can people find your products/services?
On my website and Etsy. You can find all of the links here.
Have You Ever Had A Pet Portrait?
Why not experience the beauty of Anna’s portraits for yourself? Perhaps you’ve already had a pet portrait which you cherish every day? Let us know in the comments below.
