Kate & Vinnie

Illustrator and Letterer Kate Pullen’s work is smart, fun and full of heart, in 2018 Kate hosted an exhibition “The A to Z of Things I’ve Pulled Out of My Dog’s Mouth” which combined 3 of my favourite things type, art and dogs. I have been enthusiastically following Kate’s relationship with her handsome English Staffie Vinnie since.

In April this year, Kate released her first book: “I am about to Lick your Human” a staggeringly well-executed illustrated compendium of all things dog-related. Kate demonstrates and intimate knowledge of the collective canine brain with their personality traits (& reasoning) explored in detail alongside fun, honest reflections on dog parenthood.

Hi Kate you are a super proud dog Mama. Tell us a little about what makes Vinnie so special?

Hey! Thanks so much for having me and you are 100 per cent correct, I am one super proud (and loud) dog mama. I brought Vinnie home five years ago now and he has honestly brought so much joy. There’s also been exasperation, incredulity and frustration in there, but oh so much joy. Things I love about this staffy of mine are his strong and unique personality, how he loves to learn new things, and the wonderful snugs I get (usually at the end of the day when he’s too tired to pretend he’s fiercely independent).

Can you tell us about Vinnie’s origin story and how you came to adopt him?

Well I didn’t actually adopt him. Five years down the track of dog ownership I’m a lot more aware of how many dogs are left at rescues and I would absolutely love to adopt my next dog (or potentially foster in the meantime!). What I can tell you though is that I had never spent time around staffies before Vin and, if I’m totally honest, had previously been a little intimidated by them. But - and I think almost every staffy owner will agree with me on this - once you’ve looked after or known a staffy, they quickly become your favourite type of dog. When I brought Vin home my mum really disliked staffies, thinking they were scary and brutish, but now she sends me photos of staffies she meets in the street because she can’t go past without a pat and a hello!

There is lots of evidence that animals are associated with physiological, psychological and social benefits for humans. (I know my three certainly, help with my anxiety, add a lot of joy and activity to my life!) How does having Vinnie in your life improve your wellbeing?

I absolutely agree with this! To be totally honest, when I got Vinnie my mental health needed a bit of a helping hand. I was feeling quite low and my anxiety had been pretty bad. I had wanted a dog for a long, long time but it wasn’t until I had Vinnie that I realised (as entirely corny as it sounds) that we kind of helped out each other. Two of the biggest things I think that impacted on my wellbeing was being forced to get up, get dressed, get outside and exercise every day, and the other was that having a dog makes it much easier to start a conversation with a complete stranger. I know that may sound simple, but for a shy and introverted person, it’s a pretty big deal! Plus, it goes without saying that the hugs are a pretty big plus!

Over the last 5 years as well as becoming a part of the family, Vinnie has also become somewhat of a muse! In 2018 you hosted “The A to Z of Things I’ve Pulled Out of My Dog’s Mouth” an exhibition which combines type, art and dogs three of my favourite things! And very recently you published a book I am about to lick your human the ultimate book for dogs & dog lovers, published by Hardie Grant. How does Vinnie participate in your creative process?

Haha yes, The Honourable Vinnie: My Muse. As I started to freelance more and explore both illustration and lettering, I’ve found that creativity has been a significant way in which I guess I try and make sense of the world. I’ve always been keen to create work that is accessible; it may not be super sophisticated or solve world problems but hopefully it’s relatable, and gives people a smile or a sigh of relief while they think, ‘oh shit, you feel that, too?’. So, it was a pretty organic transition that I’d start drawing about my dog! I completely agree with you when you say that type, art and dogs are three of your favourite things, and so when I’m tinkering away on passion projects I can’t help it, they keep circling back to the pups!

What part of the book illustration/design/writing/production process did you enjoy most?

I’ve been learning that I really love brainstorming and strategising. Of course I love the actual drawing part, but I’ve discovered that I do get a bit of a rush from scribbled notes on random bits of paper, and mind maps and spreadsheets about where this one little idea could take us.

To coincide with the book launch you created some rad doggo animated gifs. How can dog lovers find and use these?

Thanks so much! Hopefully I can keep adding to this collection so that there is a doggo gif for every situation. These can be found via Giphy! If you’d like to add one to your Instagram stories just search for ‘katepullen’ under the GIF option. And please tag me, because I’d love to see all those dogs!

Tell us about a typical day in the life of Vinnie…

Sir Vincenzo will start the day with a snooze in the human bed, followed by a wee and a delicious raw meat breakfast. Then there’s incredible excitement when the walking shoes are pulled out, a brisk stroll to get our morning beverage, various pats and hellos, followed by a day that usually alternates between the stressful tasks of snoozing in the sun and lying on the couch. A trip to the dog park often ends our arvo, where Vin has access to the entire off-leash area but would rather stand glued to the humans he sees each and every day.

What is the biggest benefit to sharing your creative space with Vinnie? And where is his
favourite spot to hang out while youre working?

Attached is a photo of Vinnie proudly guarding my working area, and often he’ll sit under my desk while I work. That, or he’s on his bed just behind me, basking in the sun. To be honest the best bits are when I sneak off to the couch and work with him passed out on my lap #professional.

Of the exhibition you wrote “we find ourselves in the midst of this A to Z, from the somewhat
expected, to the slightly peculiar and the downright disgusting." What is the funniest thing you
removed from Vinnie’s mouth?

I’ve often admired his persistence, which can be demonstrated by the pizza he stole from the kitchen bench. That’s pretty standard I guess, except that this slice was wrapped entirely in alfoil…which also went right down his trap. There was also the time he found an abandoned (and very full) nappy during one of our walks. What is it with dogs and poo?!

What is the most mischievous thing he has ever done?

Hmmm there are unfortunately a few to choose from! And the majority of them involve food or bodily fluids haha. I do remember that once I had a package delivered and dropped at the front door. Vin took himself out the front, sniffed the box and managed to chew through two levels of cardboard just to find the one block of chocolate amidst a whole host of goodies. And it wasn’t even this particular instance that he found and ate so much chocolate that I had to take him to the vet and induce
vomiting. How do even dogs know that the stuff that tastes so good is the stuff that’s bad for us? Please rest assured that I quickly learned that all sweet treats need to be locked away!

What is your favourite activity you do together?

I do love our walks, but the top would have to be the snuggles. Vinnie goes to my boyfriend for plays, and me for hugs, and there’s been quite an album brewing of Vin and I sleeping in different spots throughout the house.

What life lessons has Vinnie taught you?

Patience is a big one. Also that you have to be clear about what it is you want from dogs (and people). They can’t read minds and they’re a lot less anxious when they know where they stand with you.

As a letterer you have a really diverse range of typographic styles in your arsenal. What genre of
lettering best represents Vinnies personality?

Thank you Nicole! I reckon for Vinnie it has to be something chunky, but still with some rounded edges, some softness. Probably still cursive but nothing decorative haha. He’s a softie wrapped in big, boisterous packaging.

With the book project wrapped up what are you working on right now?

Just trying to get through these weird times, to be honest. I am working with some lovely clients right now, which is fantastic, and they’re really pushing my illustration skills, which I love! But I think we’re in this mess for the long haul, so I have to pace myself and make sure I’m looking after my mental health. Without that, there ain’t no creativity anyhow!

As well as your prolific personal practice you are part of the Letterettes… How did your
collaboration with these awesome ladies come about?

Yay, The Letterettes! The ‘Ettes are myself, Wanissa Somsuphangsri, Eliza Svikulis and Carla Hackett. Back in 2015, live lettering was really beginning to gain in popularity and each of us had been hired for various live gigs, but individually. One day we happened to all be put on the one job together and, by the end of the shift, we were a girl group!

Is Vinnie the only 4-legged crew member of the letterettes?

Eliza is currently looking after doggos Meg and Delilah, and Wanissa often looks after the beautiful pup Waffles. Carla is more of a cat person than a dog person, but we can forgive her because her cats are pretty darn cute.

Creatives are navigating challenging times right now how have you been affected and how have
you adapted?

It has been incredibly challenging. In terms of work I’ve certainly noticed a downturn, but with freelance being the rollercoaster that it is, it is sometimes hard to know how much of that is COVID-19 and how much of that is normal freelance life. I can definitely say though that any events-based jobs, work inside shopping centres, or mural work has dried up or been put on hold. Now that we’ve entered this second lockdown in Melbourne, who knows. I’m just hoping that this six weeks goes quickly, and that everyone does the right thing so we can get those numbers down and start making our way back to ‘normal’.

On your website you have a gallery of dogs you’ve met. “Little fluff balls with incredibly big
hearts that we humans so clearly do not deserve.” There are so many adorable faces in that
collection… Do you and Vinnie have any favourite canine friends you’ve met along the way? If so
can you tell us their story?

I love meeting all of the dogs! However, Vinnie is very much a human dog. When we go to the dog park, I like to pat all the dogs, while Vinnie likes to divide his time between sniffing things and standing near me. So because of this, he doesn’t really have a favourite canine friend (sad face from me, although he seems perfectly happy). However! About a week ago we ventured to our normal oval and met a little terrier named Frankie and oh my gosh did they play! They really just ran after each
other for about five minutes, but let me tell you this is some serious play for Vinnie! I felt like such a proud mum.

Finally where can people see more of your work and connect with you & Vinnie?

Thank you so much for having us, and we’d love to connect with more lovely people and their dogs. My work is at www.katepullendraws.com, or over on Instagram: @katepullendraws.