How to Make a Custom Pet Portrait

We have such love for our fur-babies that we want to keep their memories alive. Creating a custom pet portrait is a personal way to celebrate your furry friend and makes a heartfelt gift or decor item for any pet lover. I have been quite fortunate to make and give quite a few of these special gifts.

Whether you’re an experienced artist or someone with a beginner’s interest in DIY projects, there are multiple ways to make a beautiful pet portrait that captures your pet’s unique personality. In this step-by-step guide I will walk you through various styles and creative techniques that I have made, from painting/drawing to digital art and sculpting. My tips for each method will help you create a perfect tribute to a loved pet.

1. Choosing the Right Method for Your Pet Portrait

Before you start, think about the style and media of portrait you want to create. I have experimented in such a wide variety of media. Nowadays there are so many options for any skill level.

• Painting or Drawing: Ideal for those with traditional art skills. You can use acrylics, watercolors, pencils, or charcoal.
• Digital Pet Portrait: Perfect if you’re comfortable with design software like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, or Procreate.
• Needle Felting Art: Combines elements of fibre art with drawing.
• A Mosaic Piece: Quite fun, upcycling and less perfection needed.
• 3D relief Art: If you want something quite permanent this concrete version is unique.

Creating a Digital Pet Portrait:

In my lifetime the methods of making art have evolved so much! As an illustrator I have seen how the traditional way of drawing has crossed into the world of digital programs. One of my favourite ways to draw is with my Apple pencil on the iPad Pro in the Procreate app. Yes, the sensitivity of the tool and the endless options of brushes and pencils allows me to mimic what I always did on paper and canvas. The beauty of using this software is that I can use the pet picture as direct reference.

Another huge advantage is being able to ‘undo’ any of my drawing; no need to restart when making a mistake! Choosing high definition will allow the highest quality final masterpiece. Procreate is also quite simple to start, without a lot of software training.

Layers can be created for changing back ground colours as you see fit. Each layer can have various settings of opacity. I strive to make my art have the feel of being hand drawn, therefore I choose brushes with grain and texture. There are so many artistic styles available in the software; even watercolour and oil paint styles. Each brush can be edited as you like as well.

Digital art with Adobe Illustrator:

Another way to draw is with more graphic software like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Again, it’s a perfect way of using a photo of your pet. I know in the art world it was often frowned upon to trace, but these days it’s a perfect way to use the pet photo to achieve the proportions needed. Trust me; even the most talented artists use their methods and you’d never really know.

This Bulldog is drawn in Illustrator with graphic strokes that are more comic-like, almost a cartoon style.

If I had one main tip; try to not always strive for photo-realistic art. Yes, it has it’s place, but the more you attempt realism, the more disappointed you may become. My theory; use the artistic style as a way to accept and hide imperfections. You want to capture the essence and special bond of the animal.

If you have ever worked with digital files, then you know the beauty of having vector art! It does not matter how large you’d like to print it, it does not lose any resolution if it is vector art.

If you do not have an iPad there are drawing tablets (like Wacom) that can attached to a computer to make drawing easier with a stylus (pen-like device) The strokes can be adjusted with the preferences quite easily.

Using Photographic reference:

Most often when I have been asked to create a pet portrait I am given some photos. Almost always the pictures need some adjustment before using as reference. Mostly, I want the eyes to be have some ‘sparkle’ and not be lost in dark shadows. Most editing software will allow the use of ‘levels’ to correct values of the picture lighter or darker.

Tips for creating fur:

When you look at the details in fur, there’s often some lighter hairs which can be a challenge to draw if you only work on a white background. So, for that reason I usually use a mid-tone background. Then I can add darker tones and the lighter ones on top, especially since layers can be used in the program. That is much easier in the digital realm that when working with traditional media.

Digital Art that looks Hand drawn:

Since these pet portraits are usually gifts, I definitely want them to look like they were not just a digital filter applied to a photo. For that reason I prefer to show the strokes of drawing. I know there’s a lot of apps and probably even AI pet portrait generation (don’t get me started on that…).

Make it with some unique style:

The choice of media can be related to how defined the image is. Not all pictures show the pet’s features in detail, so a looser type of style works in that case.

Drawing a Pet using Traditional media:

Yes, I am quite used to using traditional media like pencils, paper, canvas and paint. One of the my best hints is to use a background colour, then the big area of white paper is less intimidating. That also makes the light areas (highlights) stand out.

The extra step that you need to consider is how to get the drawing onto the paper (or canvas). If you print the picture reference then you can use a carbon paper type of transfer method. Rub some graphite onto the back of the paper which will make it able to transfer onto the drawing paper. Trace around the shapes of values and also the details. That should result in a pencil drawing that is right proportions as photo. If anything is wrong it is erasable since it was graphite. This is how I transferred art for my career.

This sweet cocker spaniel deserved some delicate line work. Many colours of textured drawing paper are available.

Needle Felting works great for Animals!

Have you ever tried Needle felting? It’s a wonderful art form that builds from small bits of wool fibres that are poked into a base fabric with barbed needles. The softness of the roving works perfectly for representing fur and hair. Here is my needle felted amazing Havanese pup.

I find that it’s a relaxing fibre art, no paint mixing needed. Layers of various colours makes much realism in this pet art. It can be stretched and put in a frame without glass. The wool fibre tactility is wonderful.

To apply the reference image you may be able to trace with a light table or even a window. There are some handy apps (DaVinci App) that will allow you to use a phone or ipad to draw from a picture.

Mosaic for a Pet Monument:

When I realized mosaics were so much fun I just had to make a mosaic version of my Pup. This very permanent monument utilized some broken dishes and a piece of flagstone. This mosaic Pet Portrait is easier than stained glass as the pieces are just small shards. These materials can make it very durable and be able to withstand outdoor elements.

The charm of mosaic makes it acceptable to be somewhat abstract. The materials also give it a strong presence and last for many years!

Relief Sculpt your Pet:

When I was working with botanicals to make relief castings I got the idea to make a relief sculpt of my pup. This process can make a mold for multiple castings in plaster or concrete.

If you like playing with clay it is quite fun to ‘draw’ without the use of pencils. This method can be be used for any art that you can imagine…

And as you would guess… there is also the ability to add colour to the relief. Can you believe that Plasticine can be sculpted so amazingly?! I still remember using it when I was a child at school!

Conclusion:

As you can see there are so many ways to immortalize your beloved pet, whether dog, cat, or other furry friend. I hope I’ve inspired you and given you the confidence to try to capture the charm of your beloved pets