Select or take a photograph of your pet

Ideally, it’s helpful to take a photograph of your pet especially for your pet portrait commission. Sometimes it’s not possible to take new photographs of your pet and so it’s necessary to work with your existing photos. The same principles apply when choosing your photo and so it’s worth taking a look at the pet portrait photo tips page before choosing the pictures you’ll send to me.

I can combine more than one photograph to produce your watercolour pet portrait, which is often the case for customers that would like more than one pet in their portrait. It can also be helpful to upload multiple photos if for example the pose and positioning of one image is just right but the colour is more realistic in another, though I need one good photo to act as the main point of reference with the additional shots providing further detail.

The ordering page allows you to upload multiple images and there is also a section to add any accompanying notes to be take into account to make sure I paint a pet portrait that meets (and hopefully exceeds!) your expectations.

Think about the finished picture and decide on your options

I keep the options relatively simple, with small (A5), medium (A4) and large (A3). Small paintings will really only accommodate a single pet, whereas A4 and A3 will allow for a more detailed single pet, or two or even three pets (A3)
I offer three options for the background; plain, colour wash or a detailed background. The detailed backgrounds involve a lot more work, so there is an additional charge for the extra time taken for this, but it can be worthwhile to add to the charm and context of your portrait.
For a portrait of a single pet, many people choose to focus on the face and therefore it makes sense for these to be in a portrait format, whilst an painting of more than one pet, or a portrait with a detailed background may warrant a landscape format. You can specify your exact requirements on the Order page but before doing so you can also read some more about the sizes, prices and specifications on this page, dedicated to those aspects.

Commission and approve your pet portrait online!

It’s easy to order your pet portrait online. Simply visit the order page, choose your size, number of pets and background options, upload your photos and let me know of any requests or comments (such as background colour or delivery date preferences etc).
You can pay online and you’ll receive an email to confirm all has gone through to me. If I have any questions or need to clarify anything before I begin, I’ll come back to within 24 hours of your order being sent, via email. If it’s a larger pet portrait with multiple pets from different photos, I’ll digitally produce a draft to show the composition to make sure you’re happy with it before starting the watercolour painting.
Within 10 working days of confirming your order, I’ll email a proof of your pet portrait over to you and you can confirm whether there are any tweaks before the painting is carefully packed and posted to you by recorded delivery.

Receive your pet portrait, ready for framing!

For UK customers you will usually receive your pet portrait, ready to frame and display within 14 working days of confirming your order. I don’t currently offer framing as a standard option for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there are so many different framing options available that it would be impossible to hold enough of a variety to bring the best out in all of the portraits I paint for my customers. Every town and high street will offer a number of ready-made frames which could work very well, but you are far more likely to succeed with this approach by comparing the frames and your painting side-by-side to get the perfect combination.  My painting sizes  are standardised to A5, A4 and A3 so an off-the-shelf solution will be found without too much trouble.

Secondly, if you can, it’s good to support your local picture framer. Although a slightly more costly option than the high street ready-made frame, the professional picture framer has a wealth of knowledge and expertise that can help bring your pet portrait to life. There are almost limitless possibilities for mounting and moulding combinations and your local picture framer will be able to find the finish that will work best for your preferences and tastes. For the work they put in and the end-result, I believe where possible, it’s well-worth the extra cost and time to work with a professional framer in your locality.

I appreciate that my customers sometimes need their pet portrait delivered framed and ready to be unwrapped complete as it is a gift. Whilst this is not a standard option, I am able to offer to work with customers that require this service and agree the best approach on a case by case basis. Just contact me to let me know what you have in mind as I’ll always do my best to accommodate requests where possible.

Order today and enjoy forever!

Hopefully this short guide has explained the pet portrait process in more depth to your satisfaction. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions page for further specifics and you are also welcome to Contact Me should you have any questions or need anything else.
If you have all the information you need and are ready to commission your pet portrait, please visit the order page and get started!
I look forward to painting a beautiful watercolour painting of your favourite pet!