Whether you call them your fur-baby or your best friend, they’re part of your family and you’d be lost without them.
Their lust for life is infectious, their energy contagious, and that look on their face when you walk through the front door is absolutely priceless.
In fact the only real downside to having a dog (apart from muddy paws and the occasional questionable aroma) is that their time on Earth with us is all too short.
Which is why making memories is important, and capturing those memories even more so.
Now, if you’re anything like me, your dog is probably the subject of a vast number of photos stored in your phone right now.
But, here’s the thing, just how many of those photos are truly worthy of being framed and hung on the living room wall, larger than life for all to admire?
Which is where I come in….
I'm a pet portrait artist and a dog-person, which is precisely the reason why I specialise in custom portraits of dogs.
My aim is to create a unique piece of artwork for you, one that captures your dog’s personality, whilst being special, quirky and stylish enough to adorn the walls of your perfectly decorated home.
A piece to treasure long after your cherished companion is no longer by your side, so that, in some small way, their familiar face will continue to greet you when you walk through that door for many more years to come.
I'm a keen artist, with a life-long love of drawing.
As a child, the only thing I really wanted to do when I grew up, was to draw for a living. So I'm grateful that every one of your pet portrait orders, is helping me to live my childhood dream.
I'm currently based in the North-West of England in the historic harbour town of Whitehaven in Cumbria, where I work from my home studio (aka. the dining room), ably assisted by my Labrador Retriever, Daisy.
I hope you can find all the information you need on this site, but if you do have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
This section outlines the main features of your dog portrait and also gives you an idea of the work that will go into creating your beautiful new portrait.
Your portrait will be hand-drawn by me. I used to do this using pen and paper, which I would then scan into the computer, but nowadays I’m able to draw directly on the screen of my iPad pro using the Apple pencil.
So I will start by creating the outline and sketching in some additional detail in black ink.
Once your portrait is complete, I’ll sign it and also handwrite the name of your pet onto the illustration too.
Once this is complete, I will then start to digitally colour the portrait, I do this by building up layers of colours, pen textures and shadows on my iPad. Colouring each image in this way is very time-consuming, but it creates a unique graphic art style, which will capture the distinctive colourings of your pet.
After several years of creating pet portraits, I have honed my process and style. The portrait composition that works bests tends to be a fairly close-up head and shoulder-style image of your dog. That way I can capture the twinkle in their eyes and the character in their face.
The final illustration will then be digitally printed onto 170gsm smooth Matt photo paper using fade-resistant inks.
And, in order to be able to capture the detail, I work big, I’ll be drawing your pooch on an A3-sized sheet, which is why I only offer A3-sized prints of your dog portrait.
This section will guide you through the process of ordering your pet portrait.
Click on the buy now button to get started with your pet portrait order.
You'll be asked to fill in an order form during the checkout process, where you can attach photos of your dog.
You'll then be taken to Paypal to complete your purchase where you'll have the option to pay via Paypal or card.
Once completed, your portrait will be printed onto 170gsm smooth Matt photo paper using fade-resistant inks.
Your unframed portrait comes presented in a gift box with satin ribbon and tag as standard. So whether it's a gift to yourself or to give to someone else, it'll be tied up with a bow and ready to go.
Please allow up to two weeks for delivery of your portrait.
If you need your portrait to be delivered in time for a particular date, please leave details in the notes section during checkout.
Or if you want to check what my current availability is in advance of placing your order, please get in touch using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
You'll need to send me a nice clear photo of your dog as a reference for me to work with.
The best photos for me to use tend to be taken at the dog’s eye level. I can only draw what I can see, so you need to make sure that the photos you send are a good representation of your pet, and your pets colourings.
You'll find more information and advice in my guide to photographing your pet.
Your portrait will be hand-drawn and coloured by me using digital drawing techniques.
I'll use the photos of your dog as a reference and create each portrait on my iPad Pro with an Apple pencil.
And once I'm happy with the drawing, I'll send it to print.
Your finished portrait will fit a standard size A3 frame, or a mount with an A3 aperture. So you can either purchase a frame to frame it yourself, or, if you're looking for a professional finish, you could take it to your local framers where you'll be able to choose from a variety of frames and mounts, and they'll be able to frame your portrait for you to your specific requirements.
The dates below show the current availability of delivery dates i.e. the date your completed portrait should arrive with you.
To keep things nice and simple I only offer the one size and style of portrait.
An unframed A3-sized colour head-and-shoulders portrait of your dog in my signature, graphic contemporary style of illustration.
Your unframed portrait will come presented in a gift box with satin ribbon and blank gift tag as standard.
The gift box will then be carefully wrapped and packed ready for posting.
I ordered two portraits of my niece's dogs for her 50th birthday. This was the second time I have used this seller, having been delighted the first time. Well I was absolutely delighted again, as was my niece. The likeness is quite uncanny and perfectly captures the characters of the dogs. I would also add that I had to ask the seller several different questions and always received a quick and helpful reply. I would strongly recommend her to anyone looking for an original and high quality gift for a pet lover.
What a super picture. Was a present for my husband and he was absolutely thrilled. I contacted the artist to ask if it could be done quicker as it was required for his birthday and she was very accomodating and obliging. The picture, frame, service - everything first class. Thank you.
Absolutely beautiful print, beautifully packaged and the service from Kate was second to none! . . . . Kate was so nice and very personable with lots of reassurance! The portrait was wrapped so gorgeous . . . . Fully recommend.
The artist was very helpful, asking for more photo's to ensure a good likeness. The result is an excellent portrait of a very special dog which my niece will treasure. No hesitation in recommending.
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If you can't find the information you're looking for here on the website or in the FAQs section, then please feel free to get in touch, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
