Custom Pet Portraits
Commission a Pet Portrait of your four-legged companion, or surprise the animal lover in your life.
My creative pet portraits also make excellent birthday and Christmas presents or, for that matter, a very personal and unique gift all year round! You can choose to have your portrait either unframed, or fully framed and ready to hang
I’ve been a pet lover and owner all my life. It’s given me a humbling insight into the eternally enthusiastic soul behind their eyes and I can really appreciate what these little furballs mean to us. This all helps me to better understand what makes them tick, and to capture their true character in my pet portraits.
There’s nothing more gratifying than presenting an owner with a painting of their beloved pet. They’re family, and I for one couldn’t imagine my life without my dog.
Gift Cards are also available from my shop if you’d like the recipient to be involved in the portrait process: Click here
If I’ve already completed a pet portrait for you and you’d like to order extra copies, visit the Pet Portrait Shop.
Lastly, if you have any questions that aren’t answered on this page, check out my FAQ or get in touch. Oh, and feel free to check out some of my feedback and reviews to see what previous customers had to say about their pet portraits.
Select your preference:
Framed & Mounted
Framed portraits are available in a selection of frames with a 45mm mount
Frame Styles
I’ve deliberately chosen frames that are neutral and minimalist to compliment the majority of decors. Examples of the standard frames that’re available are shown below. If you’d like to see the frames in more detail, let me know and I can send you close-up photos.
However, as all frames are made to order they can be customised to suit. Perhaps you’d like a different colour frame or mount? Or perhaps you’d like a different thickness of mount? My framer has 100’s of styles available. Just let me know and I’ll do my best to find something for you. I can also send you a mock-up to give you an idea of how your finished portrait will look.
What you get
- You’ll receive a portrait of your pet as a fully framed and mounted Giclee print on fabulous Hahnemühle German Etching paper. This is an archival grade fine art paper that will prevent fading for 100+ years. It has a wonderful texture that further adds to the hand crafted nature of the portrait. Click here for more info about this paper.
- All framed portraits are supplied ready to hang with d-rings and cord already fitted
- Portrait/print size = 17″ x 12″ as standard. If you’d like a different size, get in touch.
- Outer measurements (on the wall including frame) will vary depending on your choice of frame, but will be around the 550mm x 420mm mark approximately
- Time-lapse video showing every step and brush stroke undertaken to create your Pet Portrait
- 1x framed portrait delivered directly to your door for no additional charge
- Additional copies of your portrait, either framed or unframed, can be purchased from the shop upon completion.
Prices
Framed Pet Portraits range from £120 – £125 depending on your choice of frame (not including any customised options).
Examples of standard frames:
Unframed
What you get
- You’ll receive a portrait of your pet in the form of a Giclee print on fabulous Hahnemühle German Etching paper. This is an archival grade fine art paper that will prevent fading for 100+ years. It has a wonderful texture that further adds to the hand crafted nature of the portrait. Click here for more info about this paper.
- A variety of sizes are available for you to choose from.
- Time-lapse video showing every step and brush stroke undertaken to create your Pet Portrait
- 1x portrait delivered directly to your door for no additional charge
- Additional copies of your portrait, either framed or unframed, can be purchased from the shop upon completion.
Prices
Sizes (inches / mm)
A5 (210×148) – £60
A4 (297×210) – £65
12×8.5 / 305×216 – £70
14×9.9 / 356×252 – £75
16×11.3 / 406×287 – £80
A3 (420×297) – £85
17×12 / 432×305 – £90
Other sizes are available. Please let me know your preference before I commence painting so that I can ensure that your portrait is suitable for your desired size.
How does it work?
Once you’ve chosen your preferred option, there are a few simple steps to follow to get your pet portrait commission started
Step 1
Get In Touch
If you’d like me to create a pet portrait, the first step is to get in touch with me and let me know what you’d like.
Once you’ve contacted me, I’ll be back in touch to get the ball rolling. We’ll go over some of your pet’s particulars, such as their breed and name, as well as any creative preferences.
Step 2
Send me some photographs of your pet
I work from photographs of your pet to create my pet portraits. Click here for some tips and advice on which photos work best for a portrait. Please bear these in mind when selecting photographs to send to me, and please don’t send me photos from social media, e.g. Facebook. The photo won’t be detailed enough due to the image compression that these sites use.
Photos can be uploaded via the contact form on the get in touch page.
If a deposit is required, I will ask for it to be paid at this stage.
Step 3
Updates
Once I’ve started painting your pet portrait, I can send you an update or two if you’d like – such as a preliminary sketch or basic colour blocking – just to make sure you’re happy with how it’s going.
Step 4
Completion
I’ll let you know when your pet portrait is complete. I’ll then send you an invoice. I’ll also send you a final proof of your pet portrait for approval. Unless you’d prefer to keep it a surprise!
Once payment has been received, your pet portrait will be sent off for production/framing. Then, as soon as my framers have completed production, I’ll update your order with delivery tracking details.
Step 5
Review
Once you’ve received your portrait, I’d love it if you could leave a review of your experience. Full details of how to do this will be emailed to you a few days after you’ve received your portrait.
It would also be really great if you could send me a photo of the completed portrait. I rarely get to see them once my framers have worked their magic, and it’s always nice to see the finished article.
Payment Methods
I accept all major credit & debit cards, Google and Apple Pay, and PayPal.
I also accept Klarna, which is an interest free way to spread the cost.
Credit status depending, you could choose to either buy now and pay in 30 days, or spread the cost over 3 months. For example, an order amount of £125 could be spread as follows:
Payment 1 at time of order: £41.66
Payment 2 in 30 days: £41.67
Payment 3 in 60 days: £41.67
Take a look at my Google & social media pages if you’d like to learn more about me:
Hahnemühle German Etching Paper
This heavyweight paper has a slightly warm base tone and a strong mottled texture. It creates a print with strong colours and deep blacks that feel rich and high in contrast. This is due to the texture of the paper enabling it to hold more ink and capture the light. The German Etching is one of our heavier weight Giclée art printing papers. With its weight and strong texture this paper gives an artwork a handmade crafted feel. Hahnemüle German Etching is a robust Giclée paper, meaning it doesn’t tend to fray as much at the edges.
Submitting your photos
As I create my paintings from a photograph of your pet, a good pet portrait requires good reference materials to work from.
In a nutshell, the more a photo shows the true fur, colour and character of your pet, in the highest clarity and resolution possible, the more chance I'll have of capturing your pet's true likeness.
Here are a few tips which will help when choosing / taking photos of your pet to send to me:
- Photographs taken outside or by a large window are the best as they'll avoid unnatural lighting and colouring of your pet.
- Try to avoid a really sunny day as the sun will create big shadows on your pet. This in turn can make certain details hard to see, or cause your pet to squint if it's looking into the sun. The best sort of day for taking photographs is an overcast, bright day.
- Take the photographs of your pet at their level. This will avoid any distortion and unnatural poses. For a head and shoulder portrait a 3/4 pose often works best, rather than being completely face or side on. However if you want a slightly quirky pose that's ok too. At the end of the day, go with what best shows off your pet's character.
- Try to get as close to your pet as possible and fill the camera's view finder. This will ensure you get more of the subject than the background. Backgrounds can be added, but your pet is the focus and the most important part of the photo.
- Try and keep your pet in focus as this will give the maximum amount of detail and make painting the portrait easier as I can pick out the individual markings and details that make up your pet's character.
- What camera? In all honesty it doesn't really matter. Phone cameras have become so good in recent years that it's often difficult to tell pictures taken with them apart from those taken with a "proper" SLR camera. Whatever you use, make sure any photos are full resolution, and it's worth taking as many photos as possible.
- If you can't get your pet to sit still, try having a friend with you to tempt them with a treat or similar while you take the photo. Don't force it. If your pet gets restless take a breather and try again later. Above all, make it fun for both you and your pet. This will help to ensure a more natural response from them.
- If you think you've taken or found the perfect photo but there's a part of your pet that's obscured, or slightly out of the frame (a paw or ear tip for example), send me additional photos that show the missing part of your pet. I can never have too many photos to work from and it'll mean that I won't have to guess and risk getting it wrong.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
