In-Depth Guide to Memorial Pet Portraits
A thoughtful guide to commissioning a portrait in memory of a beloved pet — written for anyone who is grieving, planning ahead, or looking for a meaningful gift for someone they care about.
By Melanie Phillips and Nicholas Beall
Professional Pet Portrait Artists | Established 1996
In this guide
- Why a hand-drawn or hand-painted portrait makes a meaningful memorial
- Pencil or oil — which is right for a memorial portrait specifically
- When to commission — there is no wrong time
- Choosing photos when your pet has just passed
- The ashes incorporation service explained fully
- Commissioning as a gift for someone who is grieving
- Multiple pets in one portrait
- What to expect from the process, start to finish
If you have arrived here having recently lost a pet, I am truly sorry. Whatever brought you to this page — whether you lost your pet yesterday or months ago, whether you are thinking ahead or buying a gift for someone you love — I hope this guide is genuinely useful and helps you feel clearer about what is possible.
Nicholas and I have been creating pet portraits since 1996, and if I am honest, the majority of what we do is memorial work. We paint and draw pets who are no longer here. That never becomes routine. Every time a new enquiry arrives and we learn that the pet has passed, we feel it. We do not become immune to it. We are living this alongside our clients every single day.
We have a cat in our commissions list at the moment whose owner booked while she was still alive. She came home from the vets for her final few days. The photos are not sorted yet because it is simply too hard, and I completely understand that. There is no rush from our side — ever. When the time is right, we will be here.
I give our own dog Lily extra cuddles every single day, because I know she will not be here forever and the thought of that is hard enough even now. So when I say we understand — we really do. This work matters to us in a way that goes well beyond the studio.
Ready to look at the gallery or get in touch? You can view examples of memorial portraits and enquire directly on the Memorial Pet Portraits page. There is no obligation and no rush.
Memorial pencil portrait by Nicholas Beall of Sammi
Why a Hand-Created Portrait Makes a Meaningful Memorial
A photograph captures a moment. A portrait does something different. It involves a person — Nicholas at his easel, or me at my drawing desk — sitting with your pet’s image for hours, studying it carefully, and making hundreds of small decisions about how to bring it to life. That process takes time and real attention, and the result is something that feels genuinely made rather than simply reproduced.
For many clients, commissioning a memorial portrait is itself part of the grieving process. There is something meaningful about choosing to mark a life with something created slowly and with care. A portrait you can frame, hang on the wall and live alongside for years. Something your children and grandchildren might one day ask about.
A photograph fades in meaning over time as it becomes just one of hundreds on a phone or a hard drive. A portrait holds its place. It says that this particular animal was loved enough to be truly remembered.
Memorial pencil portrait by Melanie Phillips
Pencil or Oil for a Memorial Portrait?
Both pencil and oil are beautiful choices for a memorial, and we offer both. The right one depends entirely on you — your home, your taste, and what you want the portrait to feel like.
Melanie’s pencil portraits
Graphite has a quiet, timeless quality that many people feel suits a memorial particularly well. The subtlety of the tones, the fine detail in fur and expression, the classic look when framed behind glass — all of these make pencil a very natural choice for something deeply personal and lasting. Pencil portraits work beautifully in almost any interior and tend to have a shorter waiting time than oils. They are drawn on archival Arches paper designed to last for generations.
Nicholas’s oil paintings
Nicholas’s oils are rich, warm and full of colour. If your pet had a striking coat, or if you want something with real presence on the wall — a statement piece that fills a room the way a traditional painting does — an oil portrait can be a truly stunning choice. Some clients choose oil specifically because they want the portrait to feel celebratory and full of life rather than quiet and reflective. Painted on fine linen canvas, these are works that will still look just as vivid in fifty years.
Which to choose
Look at examples of both and see which you are drawn to. There is genuinely no wrong answer. If you are unsure, our compare oil and pencil page may help, or simply get in touch and we will happily talk it through with you.
Lily the Tibetan Terrier in the pet portrait studio in rural Wales
When Is the Right Time to Commission?
There is no right or wrong answer to this, and we would never want anyone to feel any pressure around timing. Grief does not follow a schedule and neither should this.
Some clients get in touch within days of losing their pet, finding that having something to focus on — choosing a photo, thinking about sizes — gives them something positive to hold onto during a very difficult time. Others wait weeks or months. Some commission portraits years after their pet passed, when the moment finally felt right. We have never once thought any of these approaches was wrong. They are all expressions of the same love.
What I would gently say is that if there is a photograph you love — one that really captures who your pet was — it is worth thinking about this when you feel ready, simply because having that portrait to look at can bring real comfort. Several clients have told us it helped more than they expected, particularly in those first difficult months.
Planning ahead
Some clients come to us while their pet is still with them, particularly if their dog or cat is elderly or unwell. There is nothing sad about this — it is a very loving thing to do, and it means there is time to choose the very best photograph rather than working from whatever happens to be available afterwards. If this is where you are, please do not hesitate to get in touch. It is actually a relief for us too, knowing we can give the commission the full care and time it deserves.
Memorial oil portrait by Nicholas Beall
Choosing Photos When Your Pet Has Just Passed
This is one of the questions we are asked most often, and it is an important one. When a pet passes suddenly, clients sometimes feel they do not have the right photos and worry that a portrait will not be possible. Please do not let that stop you from getting in touch.
Between us we have nearly sixty years of experience working from imperfect reference images — blurry photographs, old scanned prints, low-resolution phone snapshots taken in poor light, combinations of several photos taken years apart. We will look at everything you have and give you an honest, kind assessment of what is possible. Often what a client considers an unusable photo turns out to have exactly the expression or angle we need.
What makes a good reference photo
In an ideal world, the best photos are clear, well-lit and taken at your pet’s eye level — capturing their expression and personality rather than looking down at them from above. But ideal is not always what we have after a loss, and that is genuinely fine. Send us everything. We will find the best of what is there.
Combining multiple photos
It is often possible to combine elements from different photographs — the expression from one, the body position from another, details from a third. This is something we work through together at the design stage, before anything is started, so you can see exactly how the composition will look before any drawing or painting begins.
Smaller sizes for more challenging photos
If photos are limited in quality or resolution, a smaller size often works beautifully. A 10x8 or 12x10 pencil portrait, or a 12x10 oil painting, captures personality and expression perfectly without requiring the same level of photographic detail that a large piece might need. We will always advise you honestly on what size will work best for the images you have.
Memorial portrait by Melanie Phillips
The Ashes Incorporation Service
This is something we offer that many clients do not know is possible until they find us, and it means a very great deal to the people who choose it.
I can carefully incorporate a small amount of your pet’s ashes into a pencil portrait. In one commission I wrote a pet’s name in capitals using their ashes and adhesive, placed carefully and precisely on the finished drawing. In another, a client sent a whisker which I preserved within the portrait itself. The result is something truly irreplaceable — a portrait where your pet is literally part of the artwork.
How it works in practice
You would send a very small amount of ashes — a teaspoon or less is all that is needed — along with any whiskers or fur you would like included. I provide guidance on how to package and send these safely by post. Everything is handled with the greatest care and respect. The incorporation adds approximately one week to the completion time and there is no additional cost for this service.
What can be incorporated
The most common requests are writing the pet’s name using ashes, adding a paw print detail, or preserving a whisker or small amount of fur within the portrait. If you have a specific idea in mind, please share it — we are always happy to discuss what is possible.
A note on this service
Not everyone wants this and that is completely fine. Some clients find the idea deeply comforting; others prefer to keep the portrait and the ashes separate. There is never any pressure either way and we will not raise it unless you ask.
Pet ashes incorporated into a memorial pencil portrait
Commissioning as a Gift for Someone Who Is Grieving
A memorial portrait can be one of the most thoughtful gifts imaginable for a friend or family member who has lost a beloved pet. It says far more than flowers or a card ever could — it says that the loss was real, the pet truly mattered, and you wanted to do something lasting to mark that.
You will need a photograph
To commission a portrait, we need at least one clear photograph of the pet. If this is a surprise gift, you may need to ask a mutual friend or family member to quietly gather some photos on your behalf, or you may already have some from shared occasions. The more photos you can send us, the better.
Gift vouchers
If gathering photos feels complicated, a gift voucher is a lovely alternative. The recipient can then get in touch with us directly, choose their own size, and share their photographs when they feel ready. Vouchers are sent via Moonpig as a proper printed card with all the commission details included. There is no expiry date — the recipient can commission whenever the time feels right for them, without any pressure.
Timing
If you are hoping for the portrait to arrive by a particular date — a birthday, an anniversary, or simply as soon as possible — please mention this when you get in touch. We cannot always guarantee specific dates but we will always be honest about what is realistic and do everything we can to accommodate what matters to you.
Memorial portrait by Nicholas Beall
Multiple Pets in One Memorial Portrait
Many families have had bonded pairs or groups of pets, and it is entirely possible to include more than one animal in a single portrait — in both pencil and oil. We have drawn and painted siblings together, companions who passed years apart, and pets combined with animals who are still very much alive.
The main considerations are size and photographs. A larger format works better when two or more animals need to be composed together. For pencil we would typically suggest at least a 12x10 for two pets; for oil a 16x12 or larger. Photos of the pets together are helpful for getting scale and relationship right, but separate photos work perfectly well too.
The pets do not need to have passed at the same time. Some clients commission a portrait combining a pet who has recently passed with one who is still with them — a lovely way to honour both and celebrate the bond they shared.
What to Expect from the Process
If you have not commissioned a portrait before, here is a straightforward overview of what actually happens once you get in touch.
Getting in touch
You can contact us by email, phone or WhatsApp. Send us your photos — as large a file size as possible — along with a few words about your pet and any thoughts you have on size or medium. We respond the same day to every enquiry.
The design stage
Before anything is drawn or painted, we create a design mockup showing you how the portrait will be composed — the crop, the pose, the proportions. For a memorial commission this stage is particularly important because it gives you a chance to see and approve the design before work begins. Any adjustments are made calmly at this point, before a single mark goes down.
The deposit
A deposit of £100 for pencil or £200 for oil secures your place in the commissions list. The balance is only ever due once you have seen and approved the finished portrait — you will never be asked to pay in full before you are completely happy.
Progress and updates
We send progress updates throughout the commission. Pencil clients can see their mockup on the commissions list; oil clients can view progress photos and video clips of the painting developing through the client portal. You will never be left wondering what is happening.
Approval and delivery
When the portrait is finished we send you photographs for approval before anything is dispatched. If any small tweaks are needed they are made at this point. The portrait is then packaged with great care — wrapped in tissue, placed in an archival presentation box tied with ribbon, wrapped in foam and sent in a double-walled box on an express tracked service. It arrives ready to gift or frame, with a care leaflet included.
Turnaround is typically six to ten weeks from the deposit being placed, though we will always give you an honest estimate when you enquire. If you have a particular date in mind, please tell us and we will do our very best.
View our memorial portrait gallery and get in touch on the Memorial Pet Portraits page. We are always happy to answer questions, even if you are still at the very early thinking stage. There is never any obligation.
Lily our Tibetan Terrier in our pet portrait studio
Frequently Asked Questions About Memorial Pet Portraits
Not at all. There is no right or wrong time. Some clients get in touch within days; others wait months or even years. Whatever feels right for you is the right time. If you are ready to think about it, we are here to help — gently and without any pressure.
Both are wonderful choices and we offer both. Pencil has a quiet, timeless quality that many find suits a memorial beautifully — subtle, detailed and classic when framed behind glass. Oil is richer, more vibrant and makes a real statement on the wall. Look at examples of both and see which you are naturally drawn to. If you are unsure, just get in touch and we will help you decide.
Please send us everything you have. Between us we have nearly sixty years of experience working with imperfect reference images — blurry photos, old scanned prints, low-resolution snapshots. We will look at everything honestly and tell you what is possible. Often what seems unusable has exactly the expression or angle we need. Even if photos are genuinely limited, a smaller portrait size can work beautifully.
You send a small amount of your pet’s ashes — a teaspoon or less — along with any whiskers or fur you would like included. I incorporate these carefully into the finished pencil portrait, most commonly by writing the pet’s name using ashes and adhesive, or preserving a whisker within the drawing. There is no additional cost and it adds approximately one week to completion. I provide full guidance on how to package and send ashes safely.
Yes, and it is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give. You will need photographs of the pet — if it is a surprise you may need to gather these quietly. Alternatively, a gift voucher means the recipient can choose their own size and medium, and share their photos when they feel ready. Vouchers are sent as a printed card and have no expiry date.
Yes, in both pencil and oil. We have created portraits featuring bonded pairs, siblings, and groups of pets — including combinations of pets who have passed and those still living. A larger size works better for multiple subjects, and we will advise you on what will work best for your photos and the animals involved.
Turnaround is typically six to ten weeks from the deposit being placed, depending on our commissions list at the time. We will always give you an honest estimate when you enquire. If you have a particular date in mind, please mention it and we will do our best to accommodate it.
Yes, always. We send photographs of the finished portrait for your approval before anything is dispatched. The balance is only due once you are completely happy. You will never be asked to pay in full before you have seen and approved the finished artwork.
