How to Choose a Pet Portrait Artist

Choose a pet portrait artist on their style, skill and process - not their location. Look at whether you love their existing work, whether they capture character and not just likeness, and whether the commission is clear and reassuring. For a photo-based portrait, those things matter far more than where the artist lives.

Commissioning a pet portrait is a personal decision, and the artist you choose shapes everything about the result. Yet many people start by searching for someone nearby, when proximity is the one thing that does not affect the outcome. Here is what to weigh instead.

1. Do you love their style?

This is the most important question. Every artist paints differently - some photorealistic, some loose and impressionist, some bold and modern. Look through their work and notice how it makes you feel. You are commissioning their particular way of seeing, so it should be one you genuinely love. Leah paints in a contemporary impressionist style that captures character and warmth rather than stiff realism.

2. Do they capture character, not just likeness?

A technically accurate portrait can still feel lifeless. The best pet portraits capture the animal's spirit - the tilt of the head, the look in the eyes, the personality you know. Look at whether the artist's past pets feel alive on the canvas.

3. Are they experienced?

Experience shows. A seasoned artist paints with confidence and brings out character that a beginner may miss. Leah Justyce has over 26 years of professional practice and has been featured in British Vogue, World of Interiors and House and Garden UK.

4. Is the process clear?

• Do they explain what photos they need?
• Is pricing and turnaround transparent?
• Is the portrait framed and delivered?

Leah works from your photographs, paints over 8 to 12 weeks, frames in Tasmanian Oak, and delivers free across Australia. Clear and simple.

What not to choose on

Location. Because the whole commission runs on photographs and delivery, an artist's postcode has no bearing on your portrait. Choosing the artist you love - wherever they are in Australia - always beats settling for whoever is nearest.