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 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!

Pet Portrait Sale Going on Now!

All of my custom portraits are on sale while I try to beat this Arizona heat by staying inside in the AC, painting amazing portraits for my customers!

Whether you’d like a traditional pet portrait, a colorful pet portrait, a Day of the Dead style pet portrait, a memorial pet portrait, or even a portrait of a person, it is all on sale!

Simply click here to go to the custom portraits section of my Etsy store, select your custom portrait style and size, and then in checkout enter the coupon code SUMMERHEAT for 10% off of your entire order!

This sale will continue through the end of July, so tell your friends… I hope you’re finding your own way to stay cool this summer!

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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!

 

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

Click here to order!

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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.

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Christmas Gifts for Pet Lovers

It's time to start thinking about Christmas gifts, especially if you want to give a unique, custom gift such as a hand-painted pet portrait. I already have half-a-dozen orders in for Christmas. I love those early orders, because they give plenty of time for me to spend making their portrait just right!

I have many options available for the pet-lovers on your Christmas list. Check out my Pet Portraits page for a variety of styles of custom-painted portraits for everybody on your list. I offer everything from traditional pet portraits, to bold and colorful pet portraits, to tattoo-style paintings of you pet… even Day of the Dead style pet paintings! A custom pet portrait is a one-of-a-kind gift that is surprisingly affordable and sure to be treasured for years to come. My portrait options start at less than $100!

If you're looking for something a little different for the dog or cat lover on your Christmas list, try browsing around my Etsy shop. I have many ready-made gifts such as hand-painted tote bags with a variety of art on them, already painted dog and cat art, prints and more. Explore, and find a hand-made gift for everybody on your list!

Happy holiday shopping!

Click on any of the images below to order a similar style of pet portrait! You'll see all of the size and pricing options right on the page in my shop.

Memorial Pet Portraits in Three Styles – Custom Portraits Honor the Memory of Lost Pets

I painted three memorial pet portraits this week, and as I finished the third, it struck me how beautiful it is that each customer had a very specific and personal idea about how they wanted the portrait created.

One wanted angel wings on their sweet boy, one wanted a more traditional portrait, and one wanted a very stylized portrait showing his beloved girl in the tall grass in which she loved to play, with a bird in the sky reminding him how she loved to chase after them.

It's such an honor to be asked to create these pet memorials.

It is never easy to lose a pet. They are members of our family, our "fur babies" as I call my own dogs. I think a beautiful custom portrait that will last for generations is a lovely way to honor their memory.

In addition to the three styles I mention in this article, I have more portrait options on my Pet Portraits page.