The best part about being a pet portrait artist, is getting to see or hear about my customer’s reactions when they receive their special animal drawing. Very often, they will have recently lost that pet; therefore it becomes a very emotional experience for them. For example, one of my customer’s told me that her mum was so happy with her portrait she burst into a fit of tears when she opened it!
Indeed, around 90% of my drawings are commissioned by my customers as a way of honouring a beloved lost pet. Pet portraits do make an ideal memorial gift. Many of my clients have told me that their unique animal portrait helped them through their grief.
As well as creating commemorative pieces though, I have also been asked to draw animal portrait gifts for a wide array of occasions and milestones including:
- 30th, 50th, 60th, 70th & 80th birthdays
- Christmas
- Weddings and anniversaries
- Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- Valentine’s Day
- House Warming
- Celebration of a new pet
Whether it’s helping them deal with grief or simply giving them something that puts a smile on their face, it is always very rewarding to hear that my art has helped someone in some way.
Below are some lovely testimonials I’ve had from my customers over the years.
Unique Animal Memorial Drawings
Given the huge impact pets can have on our lives, it’s no surprise that most of my drawings are commissioned as commemorative gifts…
Otta
“We were so happy with Emma’s drawing of our beloved family pet, Otta, who is sadly no longer with us. As a birthday present for my dad, the drawing perfectly captures Otta’s personality (and extremely long tongue). Everything is so true to life, and the pet portrait now sits proudly in my parent’s sitting room looking down over his favourite sofa. I highly recommend Emma’s work. She is meticulous to the finest detail, completed the commission to the deadline we set before my dad’s birthday, and kept us updated with her progress.”
E.Garlick
Lara
“Emma has done two portraits for us over the past 3 years. One of our beloved Lara which has pride of place on our wall and she looks stunning. The second a special request of our son and his wife with their precious ‘Poppy’ as a wedding present. We now have ‘Sammi’ and she too will enter Emma’s Hall of Fame. She is just so talented.”
K.Rumsey
Sooty & Harvey
“I was recommended to talk to Emma about portraits of my pets and I am SO GLAD I did, they are fabulous. Emma is very talented and the whole service was perfect .. I look at my portraits every day and they give me lovely memories of 2 very special fur babies … I can not recommended her enough!!”
J.Chambers
Abby & Millie
“Sadly Millie died 4 years ago and this was commissioned as a very special birthday present. As I predicted, Bob loved the drawing and couldn’t be happier! I am sure there will be other occasions for which I will be in touch.”
T.Harrington
Flic
“Thank you so much Em for bringing my beloved Flic back home. You are an amazing artist , capturing every little detail but most of all you put the character right there in the picture. I feel she is looking at me and I am looking at her. Thank you for helping to heal the loss of a precious and adored member of my family.”
J.Williams
Rufus
“We just wanted to say thank you so much for the wonderful artwork you created for us of “Rufus”. He was such a lovely little dog and companion to us for 15 years and you captured him so well. We can always look at him now and really appreciate your skill and time.”
C.Barley
Loki
“I can’t tell you how wonderful your drawing is to have. My husband said today ‘of all the pictures we have of Loki, this is the most real and life like’. It’s really made a difference to us and our grief and it’s like she’s here in some way.”
B.Woolley
Mickey
“I just wanted to let you know that Tom LOVES Mickey. Everyone is so impressed with how accurate he is and how his character comes through.”
S.Pinkney
Alice
“Leanne absolutely loves the portrait, she got quite emotional when she unwrapped it. We’re planning on getting it framed and put in a place at home where we can really appreciate it. Thank you so much for your hard work; it looks amazing and we both really appreciate it.”
J.Conway
Siege
“Having lost my precious boy in most unfortunate circumstances earlier this year, I literally cannot be more happy to have such a lifelike portrait of him. Time has evidently been of no concern when recreating each hair and vein on his face! I am eternally gratefully for Emma giving me a sweet ending to such a hard time. Many thanks Emma for your hard work.”
T.Canon
Animal Portraits for Milestone Birthdays
Many of my portraits have been given as special gifts for 30th, 50th, 60th, 70th and even 80th birthdays!
Teddy & Finlay
“Hi Emma, my dad received your drawing yesterday and as expected, was completely overwhelmed. It’s his 80th tomorrow and he says it’s the best gift he’s ever had. I’m not sure I’ll ever beat it! Thank you so so much.”
B.Woolley
Holly
“I thought you would like to know my brother & sister in law were absolutely thrilled to bits with the portrait of Holly! She is already on the wall!”
T.Harrington
Harley
“Thank you so much for the beautiful portrait of Harley – we absolutely adore it! My husband was very surprised to receive it as his ‘special birthday’ gift. The likeness to the photo I sent you was truly amazing!”
K.Ravenhill
Pickles, Pom Bear & Pumpkin
“We have commissioned 3 animal portraits from Emma in the past year, 2 dogs and a cat. The whole process was quick, easy and personal. It was a delight to deal with Emma. All the portraits were beautifully drawn in pencil and capture our pet’s personalities perfectly. Emma’s attention to detail is second to none and each drawing pick’s out our pets unique markings impeccably. They have pride of place in our living room. We couldn’t recommend Emma enough and wish her every success.”
K. Gibbs
Max
“Ali was absolutely thrilled with the portrait of Max – his face lit up when he opened it. He couldn’t believe the likeness and how you’d captured him to a tee. Now he has pride of place at home. Thank you so much.”
L.Hewitt
Animal Anniversary Gifts
These portraits were commissioned to mark a special anniversary…
Bourton Browser Anniversary Portrait
“Last summer we commissioned Emma to draw a picture to celebrate 20 years of our Parish Magazine, the “Bourton Browser”. We wanted something that defined Bourton-on-the-Water, our beautiful Cotswold Village. Emma’s picture shows two of our iconic ducks in the foreground with the river Windrush flowing under our Venetian type bridges in the background. The picture sums up the ethos of the village perfectly and we were thrilled with it. It was presented to the chairperson of the Bourton Parish Council and now hangs in the George Moore Community Centre in Moore Rd, Bourton-on-the-Water, where it can be viewed during normal office hours. We would recommend Emma to anyone who is seeking an animal portrait; she is a meticulous worker spending hours on each commission until it meets her exacting standards. You will not be disappointed.“
S. & R. Dodd
Tabitha
“Emma Gorton is a remarkable animal portrait artist able to capture not only a true likeness of the animal but also their spirit and character. We commissioned Emma drew a portrait of “Tabitha” our 19 year old cat who sadly passed away in May 2016. Working from a selection of photos Emma created a truly stunning picture. Tabitha had the most beautiful liquid green eyes and Emma has captured these in a way that seems so full of life and energy. Even though the picture is black and white it shows every detail of her tabby markings and even individual hairs. The picture has pride of place over our mantelpiece and is a great comfort to us as Tabitha is back in her rightly place watching over us.”
R.Dodd
Animal Portraits as Wedding Gifts
A wedding can be one of the happiest days in someone’s life and it’s not surprising that very often, people want their pets involved in them. Here are a couple of portraits I’ve created in time for a wedding…
Pete
“Pete was a gift to a dear friend who had lost him the year before. Emma captured his details so well that when my friend opened the gift she was very emotional – the likeness to Pete was incredible, the drawing captured his unique personality and it is a gift that will be treasured for a long time, thank you so much!”
A.Boyes
Tom, Em & Poppy
“Emma has done two portraits for us over the past 3 years. One of our beloved Lara which has pride of place on our wall and she looks stunning. The second a special request of our son and his wife with their precious ‘Poppy’ as a wedding present. We now have ‘Sammi’ and she too will enter Emma’s Hall of Fame. She is just so talented.”
K.Rumsey
Christmas Gifts
One of my busiest times of the year is the run up to Christmas. In fact, I am often transformed into a drawing-machine in order to fulfil all of my orders!
Badger
“Oh I love it! You have captured him beautifully, well done. What a lovely present for my daughter.”
R.Willett
Oscar
“You have surpassed yourself! I know it was a short time frame for you but I am really glad I asked you to do Oscar. Thank you so much- I know they will be absolutely delighted with him.”
R.Willett
Buzz & Dory
“It’s arrived and we both absolutely love it. You have captured Buzz and Dory completely.”
C.Conly
Bebe
“My mother in law Jean Denniss commissioned you to sketch my piebald horse. I received it for Christmas and was absolutely thrilled with my portrait of my gorgeous Bebe. You have such a talent and I wanted to thank you so much and tell you how much I loved it.”
T.Denniss
Celebration of a New Pet
Sometimes I am asked to draw a special new addition to a family…
Sparrow
“A big Thank You for the wonderful portrait of Sparrow as you know it was a gift for friends who gave us one of her puppies after we lost our wonderful Mollie. They absolutely loved it. I will be returning to you again as I have a pony mad daughter who has a big birthday coming up..I can’t think of anyone else I would want to do Cherry’s portrait for her.”
S.Winslade
Guy
“Thank you very much for the beautiful portrait of Guy, we love it and it will certainly bring happy memories of him. It will look lovely in our new bungalow and will take pride of place.”
S.Baldwin
Oskar
“The portrait arrived safely and we are very happy with it 🙂 We are certain our friends will love it.”
O.Sheppard
Ralph
“We commissioned Emma to draw Ralph, our Flat Coated Retriever. Ralph is our first dog together and we really wanted someone to capture him as a puppy, particularly as we were expecting our son soon after. Being a long haired black dog with a shiny coat, Ralph is difficult enough to photograph, let alone draw. That said, not only did Emma manage to capture Ralph in amazing detail, she also managed to capture his spirit in his eyes and facial expressions. Emma is as passionate about her work as she is about the animals themselves, and this shows in the dedication, time, effort and attention to detail in every one of her works. We are so happy with our commission, and will definitely be asking Emma to do a “grown up” version of Ralph soon!”
A and Z.Ford
Just because…
Sometimes my customers simply want to celebrate their existing fluffy bundles of joy!
Hobbes & Cussler
“I love it! I can look at them instantly and see both my Boys – love the ball too.”
O.Macaulay-Lowe
Milo & Lenore
“The portraits are on my mantlepiece PRIDE of PLACE! They are so beautiful, so much more impressive in person. Thanks so very much, most exciting gift we have ever had.”
A.French-Duffield, California, USA
Rambo
“Emma’s portrait of our dog Rambo was exactly what I was looking for. Emma was kind enough to make the portrait to my specifications and the likeness to his little face was remarkable. Emma really captured Rambo’s personality and I would definitely recommend her to anyone wanting not only a permanent reminder of their pet but also a great piece of art to decorate their home.”
E.Halley
Rameses
“It’s come in the post, and we love it – thank you ever so much for the portrait of Rameses. I think you’ve captured him and his personality just perfectly. It’s a work of art – time to get it framed now!”
S.Griffiths
Halo
“Emma did a beautiful portrait of our dog Halo, showing her kindness and gentleness – her essential personality. All the family loved it. We are hoping to have another portrait done soon of a close friend’s dog.”
A.Antoniucci, California, USA
Frank
“Thank you so much for doing the portrait of Frank, as you know it was a present for my mother. When I gave it to her I just knew she would like it, you got him so accurately and captured the essence that made him, him. I never in a million years thought I’d get the reaction from her that we did, my husband and I were very taken a back, she didn’t burst – but exploded into tears! Hugging it and then Frank and in-between the sobs saying how much she loved it and her baby. It really was extremely emotional! It now hangs pride of place in her open planned house, you can see him from the sitting room, dinning and kitchen area. Thank you so so much again, you have a special talent, so much better than a photo. Our special animals will always live on in their portraits.”
R.Walker
Benjy
“My daughter Fiona Gear has just given me a portrait of my terrier Benjy which you drew. I wanted to tell you that it is absolutely brilliant, you have caught his character and expression so well, I am thrilled with it and all my friends have been admiring it as well. Just done from a photo I think you are so clever.”
J. Grant-Duff
Order your own Animal Portrait
Ordering an animal portrait can be the ideal solution for a number of occasions. If you’d like to order a unique animal portrait, please take a look at my How to Order a Pet Drawing page.