How my pet portraits are created, and how to order

adrienne koehazi
May 4
4 min read

Updated: Jun 5

I'm so glad you're ready to have your pet painted in a unique hand-painted portrait!

In this blog post, I'd like to show you the ordering process.

You'll learn how my pet portraits are made, what techniques I use, the first and last steps in the making process, and what part you play in it!

Are you with me? Then let's get started!

A border collie dog, next to two portraits of her — Borka with two watercolour portraits of her

Help, I want a portrait of my pet!

It doesn't matter whether you want to give the portrait as a gift for somebody or as a surprise for yourself. Got an empty space on your wall that's crying out for your pet? Tired of six thousand photos and want something unique? Or do you simply love animals and feel that a portrait on your wall would be the perfect way to express that love?

Rest assured, you're in the right place!

It's also the perfect place for you if you want to remember a lost pet. This is a more difficult and painful subject, but I know what you are going through. I painted my very first pet portrait in memory of my dog Marci, who we had to say goodbye to within six months due to a serious illness.

Since then, it hasn't got any easier to look at his portrait, but it's comforting to know that it's there on the wall and I can see it every day. So I never forget his features.

Hand painted portrait in memory of a golden retriever dog — Portrait in memory of Lucy

But what is the first step?

You should take the first step by contacting me via email:

adrienne.koehazi@gmail.com

All I need are two things to make a portrait of your buddy:

1. Collect some great photos of your pet!

2. Tell me what size you want!

My pet portraits are available in different sizes, you can find all the information here:

I need more information

If you want to place an individual order, you can also do so via email.

Now let's go through what you need to look out for when choosing your photos!

What photos should I collect of my pet?

Choose photos that you would like to see in a painting! Since I'm painting your pet's face, send me close-up photos.

It is very important that you attach good quality photos via email. They should not be pixelated or low resolution.

Here are some examples of good quality photos:

How many photos should I take?

3-5 photos are the most optimal. If you're unsure, feel free to attach more, I'll help you choose.

Important, if you have a specific request for accessories, please attach photos of the items you want to include! I'm thinking here of collars or scarves, for example.

I sent the email, what will happen next?

Depending on the orders received, you may have to wait a few working days for a response.

If you have filled everything in nicely and attached super photos, I will send you a quote based on the information you have provided. I will ask for the total amount of the portrait in advance.

Once the payment is received, we will have a short consultation to go over all the details. Only then will I start sketching.

Here's the first sketch of your best friend!

I have good news, everything is going great with the order and I will email you the sketch I made of your precious little one. It's a pencil sketch that looks like this:

Pencil sketch of a beagle-staffordshire bull terrier

Here you have the possibility to ask for a minor improvement, e.g. you still want a collar or the ears to be drawn slightly differently. Don't worry, big tragedies don't happen at this point, as everything is discussed thoroughly before the portrait starts.

Let's start painting!

Incredible as it may seem, the easy part of portrait making is coming up. The discussion, sketching and any minor corrections are always the difficult part. Once we've done all that, you have nothing to do after the sketch is fixed but wait for the finished painting!

In this video you can see how I painted Rambo's portrait:

Let's pack!

Good news, I'm done with your painting! After that, all that's left is a final consultation with you before mailing. I will send you a photo of the painting by email.

The painting will be sent carefully packed, unframed. You can see in the pictures that I will support the finished painting with a sturdy cardboard backing and then place it in a sealable plastic wrap.

Once the security wrapping is complete, I place the whole package inside a hardboard envelope. That way, I'm sure nothing will happen to it during the postal service.

Wrapping a portrait of a black German Shepherd

I got the portrait and I love it!

We have now reached the most important point, which is the delivery of the portrait. I hope everything is in order and you have already hung it on the wall! I'm always very happy if you email me a few kind words or even a photo with the painting and your pet!