FROM MRS Patmore to Lady Sybil, these barking mad illustrations show the WOOF-er side of some of our most loved Downton characters. The art works entitled 'Houndton Tabby', were designed by illustrator and artist Kim Parkhurst, 39, after she combined her love of drawing and Downton Abbey. 'I've been painting portraits of animals in historical costume for some time,” explains New Yorker Kim. “I've taken some familiar and beloved characters whose demeanour, personality, and appearance seemed to translate to certain breeds of dog or cat. 'I got to thinking about Mr Bates' character and storyline, and Brendan Coyle's facial structure, and how he could look hard but also had the warmest, kindest eyes.
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EAGERLY BITING his nails, this little squirrel is clearly nervous of looming predators as he searches for his meal .
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
Balanced on one leg, a frog assumes the crane kick martial arts stance made famous in the movie The Karate Kid .
SQUABBLING over the last piece of grain, these hungry squirrels are determined to stock up on as much food as possible .
SOARING at 112 miles per hour through the air, this petite blonde certainly lives up to her title as the fastest flying woman in the world .
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .
A young orangutan comes over all shy as she hides her face behind a broken bucket .
WIDE EYED and staring straight down the lens of the camera, this intrigued seal is ready for his close up .
A diver looks like a minnow as she swims alongside a gigantic whale shark, the largest species of fish on the planet .
A baby sperm whale assumed the role of a friendly giant when faced with two awestruck divers .
