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Commissions

Pet Portraits

High quality portraiture — a fully framed, ready-to-hang piece of original artwork. A treasured keepsake that will last a lifetime.

Order a portrait Gift certificates

Order by 15 November for Christmas. Current waiting time: about 6 weeks.

Oil portrait of a dog, painted from a photograph
Oil portrait of a pet, painted by hand

What you are buying

Painted by hand, start to finish

A unique, handmade piece of artwork from your favourite photograph of a family pet. I take great care and attention to detail to try to capture the spirit of the subject.

Description

Unlike many other online pet portrait sites you can be assured that the finished product is 100% my own work and not digitally created.

  • Personalised artwork capturing your pet’s unique personality and character
  • Oil on canvas — high-quality materials for a professional, long-lasting finish
  • Carefully detailed and individually crafted — no AI filters or mass production
  • Suitable for dogs, cats, and all beloved pets
  • Ideal as a meaningful gift for pet lovers or memorial keepsake
Materials

I use Winsor & Newton oil colour and work with Liquin original, Sansodor and linseed oil mediums. I also frame all of my own work using high quality Centrado picture moulding, underpinned and glued for longevity and finished with gallery grade hanging bracket or cord. I do not use cheap fibreboard or polystyrene frames which sag over time.

Examples

White cat Small · 15 × 15 cm

Oil portrait of a pet in its white frame
Framed
The same portrait, unframed
Unframed

Pug Medium · 20 × 20 cm

Oil portrait of a pet in its white frame
Framed
The same portrait, unframed
Unframed

More portraits

  • Oil portrait of a pet, painted from a photograph
  • Oil portrait of a pet, painted from a photograph
  • Oil portrait of a pet, painted from a photograph
  • Oil portrait of a pet, painted from a photograph
  • Oil portrait of a pet, painted from a photograph
  • Oil portrait of a pet, painted from a photograph

Remembering a pet

Memorial portraits

A portrait to remember a much-loved pet.

  • Painted from your favourite photographs, even older ones, as long as they’re in colour.
  • Send more than one photo if you can; it helps me get their likeness and character.
  • Take your time: there’s no rush to choose, and I’m happy to talk it through before you order.
Order a portrait Get in touch

Price guide

Sizes and prices

Framed prices are based on a white classic frame with white inner slip. Custom framing options are discussed during ordering.

Gift wrapping +£5.99, with an optional gift message of up to 100 characters.

The order form

Five steps from your photo to a commission

Choose a size, tell me how many pets, add your favourite photograph and crop it, then see your pet in its frame before you decide. Here is the order form in action.

  1. Step 1 of 5Choose a size Four canvases, drawn to scale, from Small at £95.
  2. Step 2 of 5How many petsThe price updates as you choose. Up to four pets fit on the largest canvas.
  3. Step 3 of 5Add your photoUpload your favourite photograph and crop it to the part you want painted.
  4. Step 4 of 5See it framedYour own photo appears in the frame, so you can compare framed and unframed.
  5. Step 5 of 5Gift wrap, then basket Pay a 20% deposit today. The balance is due when your portrait is finished.
Start your portrait

How it works

From first enquiry to finished artwork

  1. Complete the order form

    Fill out the online order form with details about your portrait and preferences.

    Start the order form

  2. Pay deposit

    Pay a 20% deposit to secure your portrait booking.

  3. Receive updates

    Ongoing communication and updates to make sure your portrait is just right.

  4. Complete & ship

    Pay the remaining balance and I will ship the finished artwork to you.

Please allow around 6 weeks from order to delivery — oil paint needs time to dry before varnishing. Longer during busy periods or for larger works. All portraits are custom-made and non-refundable once work has begun.

Order a portrait Gift certificates

Framing

Finished to hang

Professional finish using high quality Centrado picture moulding. I frame all of my own work and take pride in finishing my pieces to the highest standard.

Corner of a white classic frame with a white inner slip around an oil portrait of a terrier
  • Corner of a white classic picture moulding with its inner slip

    White classic moulding with a white inner slip

  • Corner of a natural wood picture moulding with a black inner edge

    More framing options coming soon

  • Morsø mitre guillotine used to cut picture frame corners

    Mitres cut on my Morsø guillotine

  • Cassese underpinner used to join picture frame corners

    Corners joined on my Cassese underpinner

  • Back of a frame with a stretched canvas fitted into it

    The canvas fitted into its frame

  • Back of a finished frame, the canvas taped in and a picture hanger fitted

    Taped and sealed, with a hanger fitted

Anything else

Questions

Choosing a photograph

I find that the best photos for painting are taken with soft lighting from one side. For example, sitting next to a window, or outside on a bright day. Pictures should be taken at eye level and with sufficient detail to capture a good likeness.

Works well
Nicely lit, eye levelSoft light from the window, at the cat’s own height.
Tends not to work
Too far away
Tends not to work
Poorly lit
  • Soft light from one sideBy a window, or outside on a bright day.
  • Eye levelDown at your pet’s own height.
  • Close and sharpEnough detail to capture a good likeness.
  • In colourI don’t work with black and white images.

Photographs that tend to not work well are usually poorly lit, too far away, or blurred. I also don’t work with black and white images. I will often change the background to complement or contrast with the subject in a loose style.

Shipping

Tracked and insured delivery anywhere in the UK: £12 for Small or Medium, £20 for Large, £30 for XL. Or collect free from Millport. I will email tracking information when it is on its way.

I need around 6 weeks to complete each portrait. Oil paint requires some time to dry before varnishing. Please allow sufficient time if ordering for a specific date.

Terms & conditions

Please read the full terms and conditions before ordering.

The photographs showing examples have been taken under muted natural lighting. Due to differences in device screen displays there may be some slight colour variations.

Order a portrait Gift certificates

Terms & policies

Terms

Terms of sale

Last updated 2 October 2026.

About these terms

These terms apply to everything you buy from kennethgould.co.uk. The seller is Kenneth Gould, an artist in Millport, Scotland. You can reach me at mail@kennethgould.co.uk or through the contact page.

Nothing in these terms affects your legal rights as a consumer.

Prices and payment

All prices are in pounds sterling (£). You can pay by card, handled by Stripe, or with PayPal.

Paying in cash when you collect. If you choose to collect your order from Millport, you can pay for a painting in cash when you collect it. Choosing to pay this way reserves the painting for you for one month from the date of your order. If it has not been collected and paid for within that month, the reservation ends and I may offer the painting for sale again. For a commissioned portrait, the deposit is paid online when you order, and the balance can be paid in cash when you collect.

Your card details go straight to Stripe or PayPal. They are never seen or stored by this website.

Your order is accepted when you receive the order confirmation email.

Pet portrait commissions

A pet portrait is painted to order from the photographs you send me. When you order, you can pay in full, or pay a 20% deposit to book your portrait. If you pay a deposit, the rest (the balance) is due before the painting is sent.

Paying the balance. If you paid a deposit, I will let you know when your portrait is finished, and the remaining 80% balance is then due. You have 3 months from that message to pay it, and during that time I will send you up to three reminders if it is still unpaid. The painting will not be sent until the balance is paid.

I will contact you using the details you gave when you ordered, so please let me know if they change. If the balance is still unpaid after the 3 months and I have not been able to get in touch with you, I may treat the order as abandoned, cancel it and sell the portrait. If that happens, whether any of your deposit is refunded will be decided in line with these terms and your rights under consumer law.

Please allow at least 6 weeks from the date of order. This timescale allows me to complete the painting and let the work dry sufficiently before varnishing. This period may be extended during periods of high demand for example in the run up to Christmas.

I keep in touch while I work, so you see your portrait before the balance is paid.

Cancelling a commission. If you cancel before I have started the painting, I will refund what you have paid in full. Once I have started, a commission cannot be cancelled or refunded: it is painted for you and cannot be sold on. There can be a lot of preparation work involved in a commissioned piece.

This does not affect your rights if a portrait arrives damaged or is not as described (see Returns and refunds). How long your photographs are kept is in the privacy policy.

Delivery

Orders for artwork already completed will be packed and sent via courier within 5–10 working days. For commissions, see the timescale above. Every parcel is sent tracked and insured, and a painting is my responsibility until it is delivered to you.

SizeDelivery anywhere in the UK
Small or Medium£12
Large£20
XL£30

Pet portraits are charged by the canvas size you choose. Each landscape is charged by its own size, shown on its page. If you order more than one piece, you pay the delivery for the largest only.

Gift certificates. The printed card is posted free by Royal Mail 2nd Class to anywhere in the UK. If you would like it sooner, you can choose a faster service at checkout:

  • Royal Mail 1st Class (next working day): £1.80
  • Royal Mail Special Delivery (next working day by 1pm, tracked): £9.95

Collecting from Millport. You can collect your order free of charge. Choose “Collect from Millport” at checkout and I will email you to arrange a time and give you the address.

Outside the UK. If you live outside the UK, please use the contact page to let me know which piece you are interested in and I will arrange delivery with you by email.

Returns and refunds

Finished paintings: changing your mind. If you buy a finished painting on this website, you can cancel within 14 days of receiving it. Please tell me by email or through the contact page, and I will email you the address to send it back to. You then have 14 days to send it back.

The cost of the return postage is yours. I recommend using a postage method with adequate insurance to return the work. I will refund what you paid, including the original standard delivery charge (but not any extra paid for Special Delivery), within 14 days of receiving the painting back, or of you showing me proof of posting if that is sooner. I may reduce the refund if the painting has been damaged by handling beyond what was needed to look at it.

Commissions. Commissioned paintings are specific to each customer, so they cannot be returned or refunded because you have changed your mind. See Cancelling a commission for what happens before work starts.

Damaged, faulty or not as described. This applies to every painting, commissions included. If a painting arrives damaged, please tell me within 48 hours of delivery if you can, with photographs of the painting and its packaging, as this helps me claim from the courier. Your legal right to reject it lasts 30 days from delivery. I will offer to repair it at my cost, or to give you a full refund, including delivery, once it has come back, with the return paid for by me.

Gift certificates

Valid gift certificate codes can be used to purchase any artwork on the website. When applied at checkout, the certificate code subtracts the value of the certificate from the checkout total.

A gift certificate is used in a single order. If the certificate is worth more than the order it is used on, the remaining balance is not carried over and cannot be used again — so a certificate is best spent in one go.

Gift certificates are valid for two years from the date of purchase. The expiry date is shown on the certificate and in the confirmation email.

Please contact me within 14 days of purchase to receive a refund for purchased gift certificates.

Gift certificates cannot be redeemed for cash.

Colour representation

All the photographs are taken in natural light, however display settings may mean that the image looks different on your screen. If you would like further imagery for a piece, then please contact me.

Privacy

Privacy policy

Last updated 17 October 2026. This explains what personal information this website collects, why, who else handles it, how long it is kept, and your rights.

Who I am

This website is run by Kenneth Gould, an artist in Millport, Scotland. I am responsible for the personal information described here. If you have any question about it, email mail@kennethgould.co.uk.

What I collect, and why

  • When you order: your name, billing and delivery address, email address, phone number, what you bought and how you paid. I use it to take payment, deliver or arrange collection, keep in touch about your order, and keep the records the law requires. Your card details go to Stripe or PayPal and never reach this website.
  • Pet portrait photographs: the photographs you upload are used only to paint your portrait. They are stored privately, outside the public part of the website, and only you and I can view them.
  • Messages: when you use the contact form, your name, email address and message are emailed to me and stored on the website so I can reply.
  • Accounts: if you create an account, your login details and order history are kept with it.
  • Visits: the website counts which pages are viewed and which website a visitor came from, using Koko Analytics. It uses no cookies and does not store your IP address or anything else that identifies you, and the information stays on this website’s own server.

I do not sell your information, and I do not share it with anyone for marketing.

Who else handles it

  • IONOS hosts this website and its email.
  • Stripe and PayPal take payments. Their payment buttons and fraud checks load on the shop and checkout pages, and they handle your payment details under their own privacy policies.
  • Google reCAPTCHA protects the contact form from spam. Google receives information about your browser and how you use the form.
  • Google Maps shows where I am on the contact page. When the map loads, Google receives your IP address and information about your browser, and may set its own cookies.
  • SiteLock supplies the security badge at the bottom of each page, so your browser loads that image from SiteLock.
  • Couriers receive your name and delivery address to deliver your order.

Some of these companies may process information outside the UK, under their own safeguards.

Cookies

The shop uses cookies only to remember your basket and keep you logged in. Stripe and PayPal set cookies to prevent fraud when you pay. The map on the contact page comes from Google, which may set its own cookies. The SiteLock security badge at the bottom of each page may set its own cookie too. The visitor counting uses no cookies.

How long it is kept

  • Orders are kept for as long as HMRC requires me to keep business records.
  • Photographs: Photographs uploaded for a portrait that is never ordered are deleted automatically after 30 days. Photographs for an order are deleted automatically 6 months after the order is completed (or cancelled).
  • Visit counts are kept for three years and then deleted automatically.
  • Messages sent through the contact form are kept on the website and in my mailbox until I delete them, or until you ask me to.
  • Accounts are kept until you ask me to delete yours.

Keeping it safe

The website uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, payments are handled by Stripe and PayPal, and portrait photographs are kept outside the public part of the website and can only be opened through a private link.

Your rights

You have the right to ask for:

  • information about how your personal data is processed
  • a copy of that personal data
  • anything inaccurate in your personal data to be corrected immediately

You can also:

  • raise an objection about how your personal data is processed
  • request that your personal data is erased if there is no longer a justification for it
  • ask that the processing of your personal data is restricted in certain circumstances

To do any of these, email mail@kennethgould.co.uk. If you are unhappy with how I have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Children

This website is not designed for, or intentionally targeted at, children 16 years of age or younger. I do not intentionally collect or keep information about anyone under the age of 16.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the date at the top of this page will change too.