CUSTOM PET PORTRAITS
Paint your own pet.
Send a photograph of your dog, cat or horse and we turn it into a numbered canvas you paint yourself. Custom kits start at £25.99, in nine sizes from 20x30cm to 60x80cm. You upload the photo after checkout, so you can order first and find the right picture later.
This is the part of the business we know best. Paint A Moment grew out of a pet portrait shop, and it started with a dog called Meg. Fur is the hardest thing to get right in a numbered canvas, which is why the guidance below is specific rather than generic.
GETTING IT RIGHT
Choosing a photo of your pet
A numbered canvas reduces your photograph to flat areas of colour, so the picture that works is the one with clear light and clear shapes.
- Get down to their eye level. Shooting from standing height foreshortens the muzzle and flattens the face.
- Natural light, near a window. Flash flattens fur texture into a single tone.
- Sharp on the eyes. If the eyes are soft, the whole portrait reads as soft.
- Fill the frame and keep the background simple.
- Avoid portrait-mode blur, which often clips ear tips and whiskers.
Send yours over before ordering if you are unsure. We will tell you honestly whether it will convert well.
What to order, by coat type
Coat colour and texture matter more than breed. This is the part most people get wrong.
| Coat | Colours | Size | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short-haired | 36 | 30x40cm | Smooth tonal shifts, no fine texture to resolve |
| Long or double coat | 48 | 40x50cm | Fur direction needs several near-identical tones |
| Black dogs and cats | 48 | 40x50cm+ | 24 colours collapse the near-blacks into a silhouette |
| White or cream | 48 | 40x50cm | Shape comes from shadow, not outline |
| Merle, brindle, tabby | 48 | 40x50cm+ | Patterning needs sections small enough to read |
| Two pets together | 48 | 50x60cm+ | Each face needs its own room on the canvas |
IF THEY HAVE DIED
Painting a pet you have lost
A fair number of these kits are ordered after a pet has died, so it is worth saying plainly how it works rather than making you ask.
An older or lower-resolution photograph is usually fine. We work with what you have, and if it genuinely will not convert we will tell you before printing rather than after.
Expect roughly two to four weeks from order to delivery. If that timing matters to you, email hello@paintamoment.shop before you order and we will be straight with you about what is possible.
There is no rush from our side.
Questions about pet portraits
Yes. Pets are the subject we convert most often, and the business started with hand-drawn dog portraits. Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits and small animals all work. You order the kit first, then upload your photo using a link we email you after checkout.
Yes, but choose the Premium 48-colour tier. A black coat is really a narrow range of very dark browns, blues and greys, and lower colour counts merge them into one flat shape. Forty-eight colours keeps the muzzle, cheekbones and highlights visible. Photograph them in bright indirect light against a pale background.
Extra-Detailed at 36 colours is the sensible minimum for most pets, because fur texture needs multiple shades to read properly. Choose Premium at 48 for long-haired breeds, black or white coats, and tabby, brindle or merle patterning. Standard at 24 colours suits simpler graphic subjects better than animals.
One pet works well from 30x40cm upwards, with 40x50cm the most popular choice. Two pets on one canvas should be 50x60cm or larger so each animal has room. A pet together with a person is best at 60x80cm. Sizes run from 20x30cm to 60x80cm.
Yes. Send a photo with both animals in it, or ask us before ordering if you want two separate photos combined. Choose a larger canvas and the Premium 48-colour tier, because each pet only occupies part of the frame and detail gets tight quickly at smaller sizes.
A sharp, well-lit photo taken at your pet's eye level, with their head filling a good share of the frame and a plain background. Natural light near a window is ideal. Avoid flash, heavy portrait-mode blur, very close wide-angle shots, and dark animals against dark backgrounds.
Yes, and many people do. Older or lower-resolution photos usually convert well provided the light was reasonable and the eyes are in focus. If you only have one photo and are unsure whether it will work, email it to us and ask before you order.
Production takes 3 to 5 working days once your photo is approved. Delivery then takes 5 to 7 working days to major regions, or 10 to 14 working days elsewhere. Allow two to four weeks in total. Shipping is free worldwide.
No. Every region on the canvas is numbered and matches a numbered pot of pre-mixed acrylic paint. It takes patience rather than technique. Working from the largest areas down to the smallest details is the easiest approach for a first pet portrait.
Try not to. Social platforms and standard WhatsApp image sharing both compress photos heavily, and the lost detail shows up badly once the image is enlarged to canvas size. Ask for the original file from the camera roll, sent as a document or by AirDrop instead.
Where to next?
A few places worth a look.
Ready-made animal designs
Ten animal kits if you would rather not use your own photograph.
