Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREE See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy ISABELLA MACHIN, REPORTER Published: 09:29 BST, 4 June 2026 | Updated: 09:34 BST, 4 June 2026
A woman has made thousands of pounds from selling peculiarly made art, painted by her flock of pet pigeons. Sophie James, who was raised surrounded by racing pigeons, decided to monetarily level-up her family's hobby after her 19-year-old friend Ella Woodland's artwork, painted by rats, took off. Inspired by her friend's fortune, the 21-year-old painted the feet of her birds - Blizzard, Brock, Pip and Seagall - and encouraged them to walk over mini canvases. The adult support worker began selling her work on Vinted in March 2025, which has snowballed into the sale of five pieces a week, at £8 each - raised from £6. Her entrepreneurship has since accumulated around £1,200.Despite some money being directed to savings, Ms James admitted most of it 'goes towards the pigeons' to help pay for food and enter them into their next races. Ms James, from Ellesmere, Shropshire, said: 'I try and do it when they are babies so they can get used to it and kind of grow it once they begin racing. 'Brock was 20 days old when I started it. It was just my friend with rat paintings, she said "do it with the pigeons" so I gave it a go.' The avian magic takes place 'wherever she can' in her home, she said, and seven of the grey creatures have now become worthy of the artist title. Sophie James (pictured), who was raised surrounded by racing pigeons, has made thousands of pounds from selling peculiarly made art, painted by her pet pigeons The adult support worker began selling her work on Vinted in March 2025, which has snowballed into five pieces a week, at £8 each - raised from £6Inspired by her friends fortune, Ms James painted the feet of her birds - Blizzard, Brock, Pip and Seagall - and encouraged them to walk over mini canvases The avian magic takes place 'wherever she can' in her home, she said, and seven of the grey creatures have now become worthy of the artist titleMs James added her pieces fly off her virtual shelves, saying: 'I put five up last week on Vinted and they sold within a day. 'I try and do five at a time and space it out a bit. From March last year to now I've made roughly £1,200.'Mainly it goes towards the pigeons for the corn and putting them into races basically.' Her feathered colleagues span across four different breeds of pigeon, including grizzle, check pied, blue bar and mealy. She said: 'I get Brock or whichever pigeon it is for that day and hold them, put paint onto their feet, put them on the canvas and let them walk around basically.''I keep switching out the colours and that's it. My friends and family basically follow along with it. They're asking me every time how it's going.'They're like "you should have thought of this before". I love it.'I've done it with more than four pigeons but I can't remember all their names.'It connects me to them in a way. I've been getting messages from people to order more than one painting saying they love it, and saying they're going to surprise people with them.'Ms James said she is committed to her revolutionary side hustle, adding she won't be giving it up any time soon. She added: 'I'm going to see how long it lasts and see how it goes.'
