FAQs

How do I commission you to draw a pet portrait for me?

I’m so excited to see your beautiful pet! Please send me an inquiry by filling out the form on my Contact page. Please include your pet’s breed and fur color as well as any other details you’d like me to know. Once we are in touch, I will ask for some reference photos to draw from— if we are unable find a good reference photo, I may decline the commission. I am only able to create high quality work if the reference photo is clear and of good quality. Check out my reference photo tips to help choose the best possible photo. Don’t worry! If the photo you send at first doesn’t work out, I’ll try to help guide you further until we land on something that works.

How do I pay you?

The total for a 7” x 9.5” pastel pet portrait is $150— this is broken into two payments of $50 and $100.

The total for a 9.5” x 12” pastel pet portrait is $250— this is broken into two payments of $50 and $200.

The first payment is a nonrefundable deposit of $50. This is not paid until after the free reference image consultation and we have decided to go forward with booking a commission slot. Once we have a reference image consultation and decide to move forward with the commission, I will send you an invoice to securely purchase your slot with a credit card. As soon as your booking slot is secured, I will begin creating your pet portrait on the agreed booking date.

The second payment is the remaining balance. Once the piece is complete and you have approved it, I will create a remaining balance invoice and send it to you. After this payment is received, I will promptly ship the piece to you.

Shipping is included, and you will not be charged for shipping unless you’d like me to expedite the package.

How much do you charge for shipping?

Shipping is included! I will be shipping via UPS Ground, and I will provide a tracking number.

How long will it take to create my pet portrait?

After receiving the nonrefundable deposit, I will begin creating your pet portrait on the agreed booking date— from that date, it should be completed within two weeks. Please allow an extra five business days for UPS Ground shipping.

Can my pet portrait have the full body of my pet or surrounding objects?

At this time I am only doing bust style portraits (head and neck). For examples of bust pet portraits feel free to check out my gallery of previous works on my portfolio page.

Can my pet portrait be a different size?

At this time I am limited to 7” x 9.5” and 9.5” x 12” sized portraits. In the future I may expand to larger sizes, which will be reflected in my pricing guide.

What colors of paper do I have to choose from?

The paper I use is called Clairefontaine Pastelmat— it is a unique product with a strong, velvety surface. I use palette number 4, which includes the colors wine, sand, light blue, and dark blue. Here is a link to the product to see the color choices. Depending on your pet’s fur color, I will make a recommendation on which paper color I think will work best.

Do you include a frame?

No, I will not be including a frame— however, for the best presentation and preservation of your pet portrait, I recommend taking the portrait to a frame shop for customized framing. The frame must have a mat so the pastels don’t rub against the glass. Please see my tips for framing your piece.

Can you do a pet portrait with more than one pet?

At this time I am not taking commissions for multiple pets in one portrait; however, I am more than happy to make separate portraits of each pet.

What type of pets do you draw?

At this time I am only taking commissions for dogs and cats.

What do you use to make your portraits?

My pet portraits are created with the highest quality soft pastels and pastel pencils. I use a blend of PanPastels, Caran D'ache pastel pencis, Carbothello pastel pencils, and Faber Castell pastel pencils. The paper I use is called Clairefontaine Pastelmat— it is a unique product with a strong, velvety surface.

How will the artwork be packaged?

I securely pack all artworks in a sturdy corrugated box. The piece will be wrapped in acid-free glassline paper to ensure the pastels do not smudge during shipping. Your pet portrait will come gift wrapped and ready to be framed. An acid-free certificate of authenticity is included— I recommend placing this certificate behind the artwork within a custom frame (the certificate is about the size of a business card).