At AnimalArtCards.com, I pour my love of animals into every greeting card, print, and custom pet portrait I create. Whether featured in a joyful dog greeting card or captured forever in a hand-drawn portrait, my goal is always the same: to celebrate the unique personality of each pet.

One of my recent commissions was a custom dog portrait of a charming Dachshund named Peggy – a bright little red (ginger) sausage dog who completely melted my heart while I painted her.

🐾 About Peggy – A Joyful Little Dachshund

Peggy is a beautiful red Dachshund with expressive, soulful eyes and a playful personality. Dachshunds are loved for being bold, affectionate, and full of character, and Peggy is no exception. She enjoys wearing cute outfits, and one of her signature quirks is how she often holds one ear slightly sticking out – a little habit her family adores.

📸 Creating the Perfect Reference – Combining Two Photos

Julie, Peggy’s owner, wanted to surprise her daughter with a meaningful birthday gift – a custom dog portrait that would truly reflect Peggy’s personality. She loved one photo for Peggy’s face and another for the position of her body and colouring. To ensure both elements were captured beautifully, I combined the two references digitally in Photoshop to plan the final composition.

This is something I frequently do for clients – even if you don’t have one perfect photo, I can work from multiple images to create a perfect portrait that highlights your pet’s most-loved features.

🎨 Why I Chose Pastel for This Dog Portrait Painting

Peggy’s portrait was hand-painted using professional soft pastels on high-quality Pastelmat. Pastel is a popular choice for custom pet portraits because it beautifully captures the softness of fur, natural lighting, and delicate colour transitions. Peggy’s vibrant reddish coat and shiny eyes came to life wonderfully in this medium.

Not only is pastel ideal for realism and softness, but it is also a more affordable option compared to oil or acrylic portraits, while still providing longevity when properly framed and cared for.

🌟 Bringing Peggy’s Personality to Life

For me, a dog portrait commission is not just about painting likeness – it’s about capturing character. We made sure to include her slightly lifted ear, sparkling eyes, and gentle pose that reflected her sweet and loving nature. Every stroke was placed with emotion and care to bring Peggy’s spirit into the artwork.

🎁 A Special Dog Portrait Gift from the Heart

The finished portrait was gifted at birthday, and Julie kindly shared that her daughter was absolutely overjoyed when she received it. Moments like these are what make pet portrait commissions so meaningful to me. Knowing that my artwork becomes part of someone’s home and heart is truly rewarding.

🖼 From Portraits to Prints and Greeting Cards

My love for animals doesn’t stop at pet portraits – it extends into my full collection of:
✅ Animal greeting cards (dogs, cats, wildlife, farm animals & more)
✅ Fine art prints inspired by my original artworks
✅ Custom pet portraits made to order

So whether you’d like a card that makes someone smile, a beautiful print for your wall, or a personalised pet portrait full of emotion and detail, there is something special waiting for you here.

📬 Want Your Own Custom Pet Portrait?

If you’d love a dog portrait commission, cat portrait, or any pet portrait, I’d be delighted to create something unique just for you. Even if you don’t have the “perfect photo”, don’t worry – I can work with multiple images to create a stunning composition that truly reflects your pet’s personality.

📸 Browse my pet portrait gallery for more examples
💌 Contact me for pricing and photo guidance
🎁 Gift vouchers for custom pet portraits are also available – a perfect present for any pet lover

Thank you, Peggy, for being such a joy to paint.