HOW MUCH DOES A CUSTOM PET PORTRAIT COST?
A Storyscape portrait of an English Setter by Danica Barreau
If you’ve started researching pet portraits, you’ve probably noticed something right away: The prices are all over the place.
You might see a digital “portrait” online for under $100. You might also find traditional oil painters charging several thousand dollars.
So what’s the difference? And what should you realistically expect to invest?
Let’s break it down.
WHY PET PORTRAIT PRICES VARY SO MUCH
Not all pet portraits are created the same way. Pricing depends on several factors:
Medium (digital, oil, acrylic, watercolor)
Size
Number of subjects
Background complexity
Level of refinement
Whether it’s printed or fully hand-painted
The experience and training of the artist
A high-volume digital service that applies a preset filter is very different from a custom portrait created from scratch by a professional artist. And a one-step digital file is very different from a piece that becomes a finished, physical artwork.
WHAT DO TRADITIONAL OIL PAINTERS CHARGE?
Professional oil painters typically price based on size and detail.
For mid-sized portraits, it’s common to see pricing in the high hundreds to several thousand dollars. Larger pieces, multiple pets, or detailed environments can move well beyond that.
Oil painting is time-intensive. Each layer must dry before the next is applied. The process can take weeks or months.
When you commission an experienced oil painter, you’re paying for:
Technical skill
Time
Materials
Design
Reputation
A fully hand-painted original
That level of work carries a corresponding investment.
WHAT ABOUT LOWER-PRICED OPTIONS?
There are also lower-cost options available online.
These are often:
Automated digital renderings
High-volume production services
Artists working from templates
Print-only files without physical paint
Some of these may be perfectly fine if you’re looking for a novelty piece or a quick gift. But they’re not the same as a custom, artist-led commission where likeness, expression, and design are carefully developed.
WHERE HYBRID PORTRAITS FIT
My own work falls somewhere between those two extremes.
Each portrait begins as a custom digital painting. That allows careful refinement of expression, posture, and composition. It also allows me to work from imperfect photos — including older images or phone snapshots — and piece together what’s needed to create a true likeness.
Once the portrait is finalized, it’s printed on canvas and finished by hand with acrylic brushwork and texture.
That hybrid process:
Allows flexibility
Shortens production time compared to oil
Keeps the work fully custom
Produces a physical piece with visible depth
It’s not a filter.
It’s not a template.
And it’s not mass-produced.
But it also isn’t priced like a multi-month oil painting.
WHAT ACTUALLY DRIVES THE COST?
Across the industry, the biggest factors that affect price are:
Size
Larger canvases require more time, more material, and more refinement.
Number of Pets
Each additional subject increases complexity significantly.
Background
A simple painted background is very different from a fully developed environment or landscape.
Reference Material
Working from a single clear image is different from reconstructing a portrait from multiple older photos. Both are possible, but they require different levels of work.
HOW TO THINK ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT
Instead of asking, “What’s the cheapest option?” it’s more helpful to ask:
Do I want something decorative or something deeply personal?
Is this meant to be temporary or long-term?
Does the artist understand how to capture expression and structure?
Will I recognize my pet immediately when I look at it?
Most of my clients aren’t just looking for a good likeness. They want to recognize their dog. The posture. The look in the eyes. The small details that feel unmistakably them.
That level of care takes time.
A NOTE ABOUT MEMORIAL PORTRAITS
When a pet has passed, the emotional weight is higher.
Often the photos aren’t perfect. Sometimes they’re old. Sometimes they’re blurry. Sometimes they’re the only ones left. A skilled portrait artist can work with that.
If you’re commissioning a memorial portrait, choose someone who understands not just anatomy, but relationship. Because that’s what you’re really preserving.
SO… HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU EXPECT TO SPEND?
For a fully custom pet portrait created by an experienced professional artist, expect to invest in the high hundreds and up, depending on size and complexity.
If you’re looking for artwork built around your specific pet and your relationship — not a template or a quick filter — that’s the range to plan for.
You can view my current portrait details and options here:
If you’re considering a commission and want to understand what’s possible with your specific photos, you can learn more about my process here: