Commissioning Memorial Pet Portrait Artwork
We all know that our dogs and pets are real cherished family members. When your pet passes away it’s heartbreaking. If you are thinking of commissioning a memorial pet portrait as a keepsake of your pet, or for a gift for a loved one who has lost a pet, I can help you with the process.
Why Should You Commission a Memorial Pet Portrait?
It is difficult to explain the reasons why a pastel drawing or an oil painting should feel more significant than the photo it is based on. However, I do believe it is something to do with the love, care and time taken in the creation of it. Portraiture is an art form that has an enduring quality, that these animals will be alive in their frames for generations.
The time we spend with our pets is just a brief for us, but to them, we are their whole lives. The love that we give to them and they give to us in return, is profound. No matter how long they spend here on this earth, it is never enough. A portrait is a lovely way to honour the love they give us.
A portrait of your pet as a memorial piece is a way for your pet to live on, as a good portrait will show something of their character and personality. It is a special reminder, to keep their memory living on. A memorial pet portrait artwork on the wall of your home serves as an occasion to talk about them more and a chance to regale stories of happy times spent together. People often say the portrait will be located in an area of the home which was special to the pet, such as on the wall behind where their bed was located.
So, How Do You Commission a Memorial Pet Portrait of a Pet Who Has Passed Away?
The process of commissioning a memorial pet portrait in tribute, is very similar to the process of commissioning a pet portrait of an animal that is still with us. The only difference is the photo reference we can use. We are limited with the photos that you already have of your pet. This may be fine, as you have spent the years of your pets life, carefully recording their life through the lens of your camera. If this is the case, all you need to do is email them to me and we can have a discussion regarding what kind of memorial pet portrait you would like.
However, some people may not have high-quality photographs of their pet. In this case, you need to get in touch with any photographs you may have available and we can see what we can do together, to create a lovely tribute of your pet for you to treasure. This may mean we are limited to creating a smaller portrait (the smaller the portrait the less detail you can fit in, which means less detailed reference photos can be used). We may have to combine a variety of photographs together or find photos of similar animals to fetch detail from. In the end, we will create a portrait that is true to your pet.
Please do get in touch, there is absolutely no obligation to book a portrait, we can discuss your photos and what our options are for your memorial pet portrait- a deposit payment is only made once we have a plan that both of us are happy with.
.If you are wanting to commission a memorial pet portrait for someone else, you have the option of either commissioning it yourself or purchasing a pet portrait gift voucher. You can learn more here about the general process of commissioning a pet portrait. If you have any questions or queries do not hesitate to contact me.
Example Memorial Pet Portraits

Cat Memorial Pet Portrait
This is a cat memorial pet portrait piece in pastels. It is the smallest sized pet portrait that I offer at 5x7 inches.
This size is perfect for a little memorial piece, especially if you do not have any high quality reference photos.
The blue background was chosen to compliment the blue urn her ashes were placed in.



