Pet portraits · Cats
We paint cat portraits by hand from your photo — pedigree breeds, moggies, and every colour and pattern in between.
Cats are painted differently from dogs: the face is flatter, the eyes dominate, and the fur pattern is often the whole personality. The pages below cover the popular breeds and the most-requested colours and patterns — tabby, tuxedo, ginger, black, calico and tortoiseshell — with notes on how each is handled in oil.
Each page explains what we pay attention to when painting that breed, which compositions work, and how to photograph them. Not listed? Send the photo anyway.
How we paint cats
A cat's eyes are proportionally larger and more saturated than a dog's, and the pupil shape changes with light. We paint the iris as a translucent layer with the pupil at the size it appears in your photo, and keep the catchlight small and sharp. Dilated, round pupils from a dark room look startled on canvas; a photo in daylight gives the calmer, almond shape most owners want.
Tabby stripes, tortoiseshell patches and colourpoint masks are not painted on top of the fur — they are mapped first as shapes, then the fur direction is painted through them. This keeps the pattern wrapping around the body correctly instead of sitting flat like a decal.
Whiskers are the last strokes on the painting: single, fine, slightly curved lines with a loaded brush, placed against a background dark enough to show them. Ear furnishings and the ruff on longhaired breeds are painted as soft edges rather than counted hairs, so the face keeps its focus.
Head-and-shoulders with the ears fully in frame is the most reliable composition. Loafing, sitting upright and the classic "looking over the shoulder" pose all work; a full-body stretch rarely does at portrait scale. Backgrounds are kept simple so the pattern stays legible.
Photo tips
For the trade
Trade pricing from one piece, series and project work, shipped to you or your customer, digital proof before dispatch. Groomers, pet shops, memorial services, photographers, Etsy sellers and gift shops all qualify with a single order.
See the trade programProof of hand
Every piece is completed by one painter from start to finish — no assembly line. Below: a close-up crop of a finished painting, and a painter at work. Every image on this site is a photograph of real hand-painted work.
Yes. Heterochromia, copper, green-gold and the blue of colourpoint breeds are all painted from your photo; we ask for a daylight shot so we can see the true colour rather than a flash reflection.
No. Black cats are painted with a full range of cool and warm darks, the fur direction shown through highlights, and the eyes and nose leather as the focal points. It is one of our specialties; send a photo taken in even daylight and we will show you a proof before shipping.
Yes. Mixed-subject compositions from separate photos are common. We match scale and lighting between the references and confirm the arrangement with a sketch before painting.
Yes, as long as it is the original file rather than a screenshot or a photo of a photo. Sharp eyes and even light matter more than the camera. Send it and we will confirm whether it will work.
Yes. Trade pricing starts from a single piece, and a project — a series for one interior, or a standing monthly order — is quoted the same way. Request the trade price list from the trade page.
Send a photo and a few details. We reply with a quote and tell you honestly whether the photo will work.
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