17/06/2026
If you're thinking about a pet portrait, the single most important thing you can do is give your artist good reference photos. It genuinely makes the difference between a portrait that captures your pet perfectly and one that falls short - and that's the last thing either of us wants.
The most common things I see that make a portrait harder:
📷 Dark or indoor photos - artificial lighting makes it really difficult to read your pets true colours. Natural daylight is always best where possible.
📷 Blurry or low resolution - I need to see the detail. When a photo is zoomed in and fall's apart, so does my ability to capture the fur texture, the markings, the eyes.
📷 Awkward angles - directly above your pet can cause distortion that doesn't always translates well into art. Eye level or slightly above tends to work best. Though occasionally an angle surprises me - Coco is a good example of that.
If you're not sure whether your photos are good enough, just send them over before booking. I'd rather tell you honestly than both of us end up disappointed.
Reference photo guidance is on my website - link in bio.
