The Studio / Portraits
Portraits
Every portrait starts with a photo and a description. What comes out the other side is something that actually looks like the animal you know — made to the specification of the person who knows them best.
Below is a guide to what's possible: the styles available, what each one is good for, and a few things worth knowing before you start.
Portrait styles
Your vision, any medium.
You're not locked into a single style. Tailsworth supports a range of illustration approaches, and you can mix direction into your prompt — looser or more refined, warmer or more graphic, any combination that fits what you're imagining.
Oil portrait
Rich, layered, textural. Works especially well for animals with dense coats or strong features. The style that tends to feel most 'made.'
Watercolor
Soft and impressionistic. Better for lighter, more expressive subjects. Beautiful in prints. Translates well to smaller formats.
Pencil / charcoal
Detailed and tonal. Good for subjects where the face is the focus. Has a timeless quality that doesn't date.
Graphic / flat
Clean lines, considered color. More contemporary. Works well on products — mugs, cushions, tote bags.
Custom direction
Describe what you're imagining and we'll work with it. Renaissance portrait, vintage postcard, botanical illustration — if you can describe it, Tailsworth can attempt it.
What makes a good portrait
The description is what makes it yours.
The portrait will only be as good as what you tell us. A clear photo helps. But the description is what makes it yours.
The more specific you are about the feeling — not just 'oil painting' but 'warm and a bit loose, like something painted on a Sunday afternoon' — the closer the result will be to what you have in your head.
Things worth including in your description:
- —The general style or medium (oil, watercolor, pencil, graphic)
- —The mood or feeling you're after (warm, formal, playful, painterly)
- —Any scene or setting you have in mind
- —Specific details you want captured — a marking, a particular expression
- —What it's for, if that helps: a gift, a print for the living room, a mug
From portrait to product
One portrait. As many forms as you want.
Once your portrait is ready, it becomes the starting point for anything in the catalog. The same portrait can become a gallery print, a cushion, a mug, a greeting card — or just a digital file you keep in your library. You're not making a new portrait each time. You're making one thing, and deciding how many forms it takes.
Gallery prints
Available in multiple sizes. Printed on heavyweight fine art paper, ready to frame.
Cushions
Printed on both sides. Removable, washable cover. Works with any portrait style.
Mugs
Ceramic. Dishwasher safe. Available in two sizes.
Digital file
Included with every portrait. High resolution. Use it anywhere.
More products
We add new formats regularly. Check the catalog for what's currently available.
Multiple animals
Portraits for more than one animal
You can include more than one animal in a single portrait. Describe the composition you have in mind — side by side, one in the foreground, whatever you're picturing — and Tailsworth will work with it. For the best result, provide a clear photo of each animal separately, and describe how you'd like them composed. You can reference the style from one of the single-subject examples if that helps ground the prompt.
Not sure what to ask for? Start with a style and a photo. You can always refine.
Create Your Portrait