Memorial Pet Portraits
A memorial portrait of a pet who's passed is a way to keep them in the room, not as an absence, but as the version of them everyone wants to remember.
We've helped people honor pets weeks after loss, and decades after. Both are right. This page walks through the practical choices, which photo, which style, which size, when to give one as a sympathy gift.
Try it free, no card needed
Upload a photo of the pet you'd like to memorialize and pick a style. We'll generate a portrait in about 30 seconds. If it doesn't feel right, you can close the tab, no card was ever entered. If it does, you order, and a human artist on our team refines the final piece before it goes to print.
Which photo works best
The best photo for a memorial portrait catches your pet as themselves, not the last photo, not necessarily the most recent. The one where their personality reads back at you across the room.
- Eyes open, looking at the camera or just past it.
- A calm, alert expression. Skip wide-mouthed action shots.
- Soft natural light, by a window, on the couch, on a walk.
- Sharp focus on the face. Slight blur on the body is fine.
- Higher resolution beats more recent. A great photo from three years ago paints better than a blurry one from last week.
If you only have grainy older photos, send what you have and we'll tell you honestly whether we can work with it. The free preview uses your actual photo, so you'll see the result before paying.
Which style suits a memorial portrait
For memorial portraits, the three styles most-chosen are:
- Renaissance oil, Dutch-master lighting, rich umbers. Reads as dignified, timeless. Most-chosen for memorials.
- Royal portrait, crimson velvet, gilded-frame energy. For pets with strong personalities, the bossy ones, the regal ones.
- Watercolor, soft pigment, airy reverence. For gentler pets, or when the emotion is still raw and the dignity of oil feels heavy.
For most memorial orders we'd skip Pop Art, Anime, and Stencil, they work for joyful celebration but can read as flippant when the moment is heavier.
Which format and size
- Framed print 16×20" ($129), the format that reads as "real art" rather than craft. Best for a wall in the living room or hallway.
- Canvas 12×16" ($79), gallery-wrapped, ready to hang. Slightly less formal than framed; warmer.
- Poster 12×18" ($49), when you want the portrait but plan to frame it yourself.
- Mug 11oz ($29), to hold something warm every morning that has them on it. Practical grief.
Multiple pets together
If you've had multiple pets over the years and want them together, alive ones with the one who's passed, or two pets who passed at different times, we can do multi-subject portraits. Send a clear solo photo of each. There's a $15 add-on per additional pet after the first.
Giving one as a sympathy gift
A memorial portrait as a sympathy gift is one of the most-remembered things you can do, but it carries weight. A few notes:
- Wait 2-6 weeks after the loss, not days. The early days are full of casseroles and texts; the lonely weeks are when the gift lands hardest.
- Ask for the photo, gently. A note like "I'd love to make something for you with a photo of [name], when you're ready" gives them control and time.
- Choose the style with them, not for them. Forward our free preview link so they pick.
- Include a handwritten note mentioning the pet by name, not just a packing slip.
- Wrap it. An unwrapped framed canvas in a box is a different experience than one wrapped in linen or kraft paper.
If you're ordering as a gift, you can add a printed gift note on the product page, just expand the "Sending as a gift?" toggle.
If the photo isn't quite right
We give a refund before printing, no questions, if the result doesn't feel like them. Email us at orders@paintedco.com, we read every message and we treat memorial orders with extra care.