Pet Portrait Styles: Which One Fits Your Pet?

A custom pet portrait comes down to one choice: the style. Togo & Stark makes seven, from a quiet line drawing to a bold painted portrait, and every one is made the same way: you upload one photo, we create the artwork, and you approve a free digital proof before anything prints. This guide describes each style and who it suits, so you can choose in a few minutes.

The short answer

If you want a portrait that goes with everything, choose Modern. For a minimal home, Line Art. For the feeling of classic art, Painted. For something contemporary and graphic, Geometric. For warm and calm, Carved Wood. For fun, 3D Cartoon. And if your pet has a personality that deserves a job title, The Day Jobs.

Modern Pet Portrait

A clean, smooth illustration of your pet on one of six flat gallery colours. It is the safest choice in the range: true to life without being a photograph, and calm enough to hang in any room. Most people who are buying a portrait as a gift and do not know the recipient's taste land here. See the Modern Pet Portrait.

Line Art Pet Portrait

Your pet as a minimal line drawing. It is the quietest style we make, and the most quietly impressive: from across the room it is a few clean lines, up close it is unmistakably your dog or cat. It suits pared-back interiors and people who dislike clutter. See the Line Art Pet Portrait.

Painted Pet Portrait

Bold, expressive brushwork with real texture and movement. This is the style for people who want their portrait to feel like art first and a likeness second, although it holds the likeness too: the eyes and expression stay entirely your pet's. See the Painted Pet Portrait.

Geometric Pet Portrait

Your pet rebuilt from crisp geometric facets, like a sculpture made of angles. It reads as contemporary and graphic, and it works especially well for pets with strong markings, which the facets turn into bold shapes. See the Geometric Pet Portrait.

Carved Wood Pet Portrait

Warm, layered wood tones that read like a carved relief. The look is printed museum-grade on archival paper rather than cut from wood, which keeps it light, archival and ready to frame. It suits rustic, earthy and cabin-style rooms. See the Carved Wood Pet Portrait.

3D Cartoon Pet Portrait

Your pet as a sculpted, lit character from an animated film. It is the most playful style in the range and the usual favourite of children, which makes it a strong choice for a family room or a kid's bedroom. See the 3D Cartoon Pet Portrait.

The Day Jobs Pet Portrait

Your pet with a profession: one of six costumed personas, from astronaut to chef, played completely straight. It is the style people buy when the pet's personality is the whole point, and the one that gets laughed at, in the good way, on the wall. See The Day Jobs Pet Portrait.

How to actually decide

Match the style to the room it will hang in rather than to the pet. Every style holds the likeness, so the question is not which style looks most like your dog, it is which one looks right over the sofa. If the portrait is a gift, choose for the recipient's home; Modern and Line Art are the safest gift choices, and a gift card hands the whole choice over. If you are ordering portraits of more than one pet, keep them in the same style and background family so they hang together as a set. If you are weighing other brands as well, our comparison of the main pet portrait companies sets out how each one handles proofs and price.

To see every style on one animal rather than one style at a time, our custom dog portraits and custom cat portraits pages show all seven on real dogs and cats.

Whichever you choose, the photo matters more than anything else. A sharp, front-facing photo in good light gives every style its best result; our photo guidelines show exactly what to aim for, with examples.

Common questions

Can I see the portrait before it prints?

Yes, always. Every order includes a free digital proof with unlimited revisions, and nothing is printed until you approve it.

What if I choose a style and regret it?

The proof stage exists exactly for this. If the style does not feel right when you see your proof, tell us and we will make it right, and our refund policy backs the finished print too.

What sizes do portraits come in?

8x10, 12x16 and 18x24 inches, framed in black, white, wood or dark wood, as an unframed print, or as a digital file.

Do all styles work for cats?

Yes. Cats, dogs, and most pets with a face. Each portrait features one pet, and many people order a set to hang together.