Having a pet portrait painted without a good photo – is it possible?

 

I am often asked if it’s possible to have a portrait painted of a pet when there’s not an ideal reference photo available. Maybe the painting is a memorial portrait and, life being what it is, a wonderful reference photo had never been taken of the pet. Maybe the portrait is a surprise gift and the gift-giver doesn’t want to spoil the surprise by asking for photos of the pet, and instead uses something from social media. It happens.

In a perfect world, these wouldn’t be obstacles we’d have to deal with, but the world is far from perfect, and the short answer is that yes, you can still have a gorgeous pet portrait from your photo with less than ideal reference pictures!

The above transformation shows just such a situation. Petey passed away, and a good friend of his owners wanted to surprise her friend with his portrait. She sent me what she could stealthily get her hands on (see pic above) and I painted a beautiful portrait of Petey from it.

Would you like to have your pet’s portrait painted? Click here to see pricing options. 

Custom Pet Portraits Starting at $75 – Hand-Painted from Your Photos

Having your dog or cat hand-painted on canvas is probably less expensive than you think. I am a professional artist residing in Phoenix, Arizona who specializes in dog, cat and other pet portraits from photos. Hand-painted Custom Pet Portraits on gorgeous, professional quality stretched canvas, in a variety of styles to suit your decor and personal aesthetic, ALL start at under $100.

In fact, at the time of this post, my least expensive option, simply because it's the smallest, is just $75.

Below are the various styles of pet portraits I offer. Click the link below each one to view size and pricing options. Rest assured that each order, no matter how small or large, is treated with the same care and  customer service. 

Click the title below any of the portrait styles above to see pricing and size options for that style, or click here to go to my Etsy shop, which has them all on one page. As always, if you have any questions at all I'd be happy to answer them! Click here to send me a message. 

Custom Colorful Dog Portrait – Beagle

I have just shipped out this new custom colorful dog portrait off to a customer today. Any Beagle lovers out there? This adorable breed really suits a bold portrait style. Lily the beagle was painted from photos her family sent to me, to their color and style specifications.

Interested in having your dog painted from your photos? Click here to order your own custom colorful dog portrait on canvas! 

Now, without further ado, here’s the portrait of sweet Lily. I hope you love it as much as I loved painting it!

Custom Colorful Pet Portraits from Your Photos

If you like bold, colorful art which really makes a statement in your room, a colorful pet portrait could be just the right accent to bring in some vibrance and show your love for your very own fur-baby! These portraits also make a fantastic gift for the pet-lover in your life. They’re on-of-a-kind and absolutely beautiful.

Getting a custom portrait painted of your pet is fun, too. I have a wide variety of sizes available, which ensures that you’ll be able to pick just the right one for both your space and your price range. You pick your size, then send me photos of your pet and some information about his or her personality. Knowing this really helps that personality shine through in the painting.

After finding out if you have colors you use often in your home decor, or if there are any particular colors you’d like used in the painting, I’ll provide you with a sketch of your pet’s pose and positioning on the canvas, as well as a few color palette options from which you can choose.

After that, I’m off and running on your portrait! You’ll receive a photo of the completed portrait for your review prior to shipping, and then the next thing you know it’ll be at your doorstep.

If you’d like to have a custom colorful portrait painted of your pet, click here to go to my ordering page. I’m looking forward to working with you! 

 

 

Colorful Pop Art Pet Portrait

This sweet pup passed away, and his family wanted to do something for their little girl to memorialize him. They decided that it should be fun and whimsical, so they asked me to create a colorful pop art pet portrait of Bear to hang in their daughter’s room.

I have just recently added the pop art pet portraits to my custom portrait styles, so this was a new request for me. But after giving it some thought, I realized what a perfect application this is of the pop art portrait style! What better way to give a child a memorial of their pet than a happy, bright, fun portrait? It makes the memory of their sweet friend joyous and lively, which is no doubt just the way their relationship had always been together. After all, pets are amazing playmates and best friends for kids!!!

When my own kids saw me painting this portrait, they told me it made Bear look like a super hero dog. Perfect 😊

If you would like to order your own colorful pop art pet portrait, please click here to visit my shop. 

Custom Day of the Dead Dog Portraits

You can order a custom portrait of your dog hand-painted on canvas or rice paper in Day of the Dead portrait style for under $100!

Please check out my Pet Portraits page to look at your style options, or click on the links below to go directly to the ordering pages for each of my day of the dead Pet Portrait styles.

Day of the Dead / Contemporary Fusion Pet Portrait - Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Click here to order!

Tattoo-Inspired Day  of the Dead Pet Portrait - Fluid Acrylics on Rice Paper

Click here to order!

 

Save

Day of the Dead Style Pet Portrait or Memorial - Acrylic Paint on Canvas

Click here to order!

Save

What style of pet portrait is right for you?

I offer a variety of styles of pet portrait paintings. Check out your options below to decide which style best suits you and your pet. Remember, every pet portrait commission is completely custom, so you can make requests as well!

Ordering a custom pet portrait is easy and fun. Click below each style to go to the ordering page. Then I'll walk you through the rest (hint: you send me photos of your pet and some information about his or her personality, and I take it from there!)

Colorful Custom Pet Portrait

This colorful pet portrait is painted on canvas, with as much or as little bold use of color as you'd like. These portraits tend to have a lot of energy and really brighten up a room.

Click here to order your colorful pet portrait.

Traditional Pet Portrait

My traditional pet portraits are painted with more of a "realism" style and are an elegant accent to any room. You can always request a few extra pops of color to be added to these portraits if you choose.

Click here to order your traditional pet portrait.

Day of the Dead Pet Portrait

I create these paintings with a fusion of my painting style with the amazingly beautiful Mexican Day of the Dead style for a truly unique piece of art featuring your beloved animal. It is a dreamy and surreal take on portraiture.

Click here to order your Day of the Dead pet portrait.

Day of the Dead Pet Portrait on Rice Paper

These sugar skull portraits are painted in more of a "tattoo" style, on beautiful, hand-made rice paper with a gorgeous emulsion of sea shell powder that gives it a lustrous surface. They include your pet's name in a banner as shown.

Click here to order your Day of the Dead pet portrait.

Day of the Dead Style Pet Memorial

Similar to the previous portrait, these are painted in a Day of the Dead style with your pet's name in a banner. The difference is that these are painted on canvas, so there are more size options, and the entire background is hand-painted with flower accents. This is a popular pet memorial painting.

Click here to order your Day of the Dead pet portrait.

Pet Portrait Painted from Photo – See the Transformation

Pet portraits painted from photos are much more than just a replica of the photo…

A customer recently told me that she wanted a portrait painted of her dog because the painting would be able to capture the essence of her dog, while a photo only captures a moment. I thought that was a really beautiful way to put it. When we got started on her custom portrait, she sent me photos, videos and lots of loving details about her dog, Pepper. I felt like when I got started on  even just the preliminary sketch work, I knew her dog and he was coming to life in front of me.

When I paint pet portraits from photos, I don't just ask you for the photo, paint what I see in the picture, and deliver it to you like a painted replica. There is so much more to it! Every portrait involves communication about your pet. What were his or her favorite things to do? What funny little habits did he or she have? What about your pet just absolutely captured your heart?

 

A pet portrait painted from a photo takes on a life of its own, inspired by your pet's heart and personality. I like to say that when I'm done, the portrait breathes with the life of your pet. Every brush stroke is painted with your pet's heart and soul in mind.

Below are a few samples of photos and the painted portrait that I created from them.

If you'd like a portrait painted of your own pet, click here to place your order.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

What Moms Want for Mother’s Day – Make it Unique with a Custom Portrait

Ideas for Mother's Day can be hard to come by sometimes. What do you get for the woman who raised you and continues to love you more than any other human being on the planet, despite everything we put our moms through over the years… I mean, let's be honest here. From writing on the walls to stomach bugs to broken vases, our moms have cleaned up after us and loved us through thick and thin! They deserve something really special on their special day.

Never fear, I have you covered!

Moms love something that is unique, made just for her. Order your mom a custom portrait of her favorite pet, or of her grandchildren. Next to you, there's nobody she loves more!

If time is getting tight, you can still do it! I offer gift certificates for my custom portraits as well, which allow your mom to be a part of the process as I create the portrait for her, with her input along the way. It's a fun process and again, something so unique she'll treasure it for years to come.

Pet Portraits – Custom Painted Pet Portraits in Pocket Size

These small, custom pet portraits are absolutely adorable and are perfect as gifts or as “pocket portraits” to fit easily in your cubicle at work, on your bedside table, or even into your suitcase when you travel! Slide one into somebody special’s stocking during the holidays or tuck one into a little gift bag for a BIG surprise! These little beauties have the same high quality work put into them as my very popular larger portraits on canvas… they’re just smaller!

Order your “pocket portrait” here!

These portraits are painted on DaVinci Pro Panels – strong wood panels crafted from fine-grained Birch wood for long-term warp resistance and a fantastic archival painting surface. They are gesso-primed, painted with professional acrylic paints, then finished with a beautiful gloss varnish for protection, beauty and longevity.

You have your choice of a 4″ x 6″ or 5″ x 5″ panel.

Save

Save