Pet memorial portrait

Your questions, before commissioning

How much does a pet memorial portrait cost?

From 90 € on A4 paper, from 180 € on a 30×40 cm canvas, 240 € for 40×50 cm, 320 € for 50×70 cm. Two animals on the same canvas, or the animal with their human, cost the price of the chosen size. The first two sketches are complimentary, she adjusts them with you, and the quote leaves within 48 hours.

Who paints the portrait?

Giulia Dal Bon, a painter trained at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan. She exhibits her paintings in art galleries, paints by brush, on canvas or on paper, from your photos, and ships the painting anywhere in Europe, carefully packed. Corriere della Sera, Domus and Sky Arte have covered her work.

What exactly do I receive?

The painting itself, on canvas or on paper depending on the size chosen, varnished, signed if you wish, and carefully packed for shipping, sent from the country of destination. Before that, you receive the first two sketches, free of charge, and you follow the progress in photos. A 50 % deposit after the sketch is approved, the balance at the end.

Which size for a pet portrait?

The 30×40 cm suits a head or a sitting animal; the 40×50 leaves room for the whole body and the setting. On A4 paper the drawing is more intimate, to stand on a piece of furniture. Giulia shows you the scale on a photo of your wall before starting, and you choose.

How does the commission go?

Send Giulia Dal Bon your photos, even old ones, of your pet who has passed away, and she brings your idea to life with you. She offers you a free quote within 48 hours, then two free sketches: you tell her what you think, and she adjusts. She paints, you follow the progress, and your portrait is delivered to your home, carefully packed. A portrait starts at 90 €.

Can it be given to someone who has just lost their pet?

It is a very fitting gift, provided a little time passes. Discreetly gather a few photos, at the person’s home or on their social media, and Giulia takes care of the rest. If you would rather let the person choose the photo and the size, the gift voucher lets them decide while still marking the gesture.

Can I have my pet painted with an object or in a place they loved?

Yes: their ball, their basket, the forbidden armchair, the corner of the garden where they slept. Send a photo of the place or object along with those of the animal, and Giulia brings them together on the canvas. These details often make the difference between a likeness and a portrait that tells a story. Two complimentary sketches, adjusted with you.

Why have my pet painted rather than print a photo?

Because a painting gives back their presence. Photos of our animals are many and often taken in a hurry; painting chooses the gaze, the posture, the exact colour of the coat, the something you would recognise anywhere. A painted portrait takes its place on a wall and is looked at every day, where photos stay in a phone.

My photos are blurred or old: are they enough?

Most of the time, yes. Send several: one for the pose, one for the colour of the coat, one for the expression, even if each has its faults. Giulia takes what she needs from each. She tells you within 48 hours what she can make of them, before any commitment, and the first two sketches show you the result before she starts painting.

What makes you truly recognise your own animal?

Often a detail rather than the general likeness: the asymmetry of an ear, a patch on the muzzle, the way the head is held, the colour of the eyes in sunlight. Tell Giulia what strikes you most about them and she makes it the heart of the painting. It is what people look at first when they receive the portrait.

Can the animal be painted with their person?

Yes, and it makes very beautiful paintings, often made after one or the other has gone. Both can come from different photos, taken years apart: Giulia brings them together in one light. The price stays that of the chosen size, whatever the number of subjects on the canvas.

Which other pages should I look at?

The pet portrait, for a companion still here. The memorial portrait, when it is a person. Adding a lost loved one to a family painting, to bring humans and animals together on one canvas. And the portrait from an old photo, if the images you have are very old.