A pet memorial portrait from one good photo
When a dog or a cat dies, most of what is left lives on a phone. A memorial portrait takes the one photo you keep going back to and gives it a place on the wall: their face, their markings, their name and years beneath.
Upload one photo per animal and see the design free, in about a minute. No account, no card. If it doesn't feel right, close the page and that is the end of it.
Free preview before you pay. Nothing prints until you approve it.
§ 01
What it looks like
There are five styles, and three suit a memorial best. Studio Minimal is the quietest: the look of ink and watercolor on a white page, the name set small beneath. Field Study makes them a plate from an 1850s natural-history atlas, the name in copperplate script. Old Master gives them window light and a warm dark background, with a small gold inscription in the corner.
Vintage Poster puts them on their favorite walk. Pick one of seven places, or describe your own: the beach they ran every morning, the back porch, the field behind the house.
No halos, no wings, no costume unless you ask for one. Each marking stays on the side of the body where it was in your photo.
§ 02
Their name and years, in your words
By default the portrait carries their name. For a memorial, most people write their own line, up to 40 characters, set letter for letter: “Bram · 2012–2026”, “Luna, our shadow · 2011–2025”, “Otis · fourteen good years”. Or choose no text at all.
If they lived with an animal who is still here, both can share the sheet. Up to four animals fit on one portrait, each from its own photo, at no extra charge.
§ 03
What a pet memorial portrait costs
The price depends only on size and finish, never on the number of animals. US shipping is free and tracked. Every print includes the high-resolution digital file, handy when family far away wants a copy, and every extra print in the order is 20% off.
- 01$59
- 02$74
Fine-art print, 16 × 20 in
$74
Large enough for above the sofa, or the spot where their bed used to be.
→ Prices and sizes - 03$139–$329
Framed print with a white mat
$139–$329
Arrives framed, hardware fitted, ready to hang.
→ Prices and sizes - 04$99–$249
Stretched canvas
$99–$249
A pet memorial canvas on a solid wood stretcher. No glass needed.
→ Prices and sizes - 05$169–$449
Canvas in a float frame
$169–$449
The canvas set into a wood float frame with a shadow gap all round.
→ Prices and sizes
§ 04
How it works, at your own pace
Upload one photo per animal and answer five short questions. The design appears in about a minute, and you can change it up to five times for free.
If you order, you get the full-size proof and 48 hours to look at it closely. Ask for any change, as often as you need: ‘her white patch was on the left’, ‘his muzzle had gone gray’. Nothing prints until you approve it, and a person checks each animal against its own photo before it goes to the printer. Prints and frames are made in 2–3 business days, then ship free with tracking, usually in 3–5 business days.
Our pets line is new, so there are no pet reviews yet. 202 Vellum customers have reviewed their prints, with a 4.9 average. Those are car and motorcycle posters, on the same archival paper, checked by the same person.
§ 05
Ordering it for someone else
If the pet was a friend's, our guide to a gift for someone who lost a pet covers getting a photo quietly, timing and card wording. Orders ship in discreet packaging with no prices on the slip.
Questions
Which photo should I use for a pet memorial portrait?
The sharpest photo where you can see the face and the true coat colors, ideally in daylight. Just the head is enough: the body follows from the coat and build. The background, the lead and anyone else in the photo don't matter. Only the animal is used.
My only photos are old or a bit blurry. Will that work?
Often, yes. An old photo is fine, and so is a phone photo of a paper print. Use the sharpest one, even if it shows only the head. Blur does cost detail: soft eyes or markings in the photo will be less certain in the portrait. The free design shows what your photo gives before you pay, and you can describe what it can't show, like ‘his left ear was darker’.
Can the portrait include their collar or their name?
A plain collar that shows in the photo stays, in its color. Leads, harnesses and coats are left out and the fur is shown beneath. If the collar is missing from your photo, ask for it in an edit, for example ‘give him his red collar back’. Tags and collars stay blank; their name goes in the line of text, along with their years if you want them.
How much does a pet memorial portrait cost?
From $59 for a 12 × 16 in fine-art print. Framed prints are $119–$329, canvas $99–$249, canvas in a float frame $169–$449. One animal or four costs the same. The design is free; you pay only if you order.
How long does it take?
The design takes about a minute. After you order and approve the full-size proof, prints and frames are made in 2–3 business days and ship free with tracking, usually in 3–5 business days in the US.
Free preview before you pay. Nothing prints until you approve it.