Yes. A glass portrait can be drawn from an old photo as long as the subject roughly faces the camera and the eyes are visible; it does not need to be sharp. Photograph the print in daylight and upload it as a JPEG, PNG or HEIC. A name and years can be set in glass under the portrait.
Does the photo have to be recent?
No. The rule is the same for any photo: one sitter, or two side by side, looking toward the lens so the eyes can be read. Daylight helps, and blur is forgivable.
The studio puts it plainly: every portrait is of one particular animal or person: the one you live with, or the one you lost. An old photo is often the only one there is, and the design is drawn from it in about a minute, free, so you can see whether it carries enough before anything else happens.
How do I photograph a print?
Lay it flat in daylight and photograph it straight on with your phone, filling the frame with the print and keeping the eyes in. Then upload that photo as a JPEG, PNG or HEIC.
- Daylight, away from a lamp or a flash that would bounce off the print
- Straight on, so the face is not stretched
- Fill the frame with the print, and crop later if you need to
- Check the eyes are in the picture and open
A scan works the same way. What the create page needs is the face; it does not need a perfect reproduction of the print.
What if the photo is soft or faded?
Blur is forgivable. The ordinary source for the studio is a phone snap of a dog in an armchair, and the piece is built in coloured glass, so a faded print need not make a faded piece.
Draw the design and look at it. If it is not there, swap the photo or edit the name and let it draw again, free, as often as needed; if a few tries still do not land, use the box under the result to tell the studio, which replies the same working day. The approved design is what gets built, so approve the one that looks like them. The photo guide has the full list of what works.
What lettering suits a memorial piece?
A name and years under the portrait, within the 20-character name field: Max 2011-2025. Or a line of up to 80 characters: Always by my side.
The pet memorial design in the shop sets Always by my side below the portrait with the name and years under it in smaller lettering and a few small white glass forget-me-nots at one side; it opens on the create page with that layout ready, and you add the photo. All the lettering is raised glass on the linen, not print, in the same walnut shadow box as every other piece.
What happens to the photo afterwards?
The studio's only use for it is drawing and building your piece, and it is erased once the order is complete. Keep the original; the studio does not keep a copy.
The piece itself asks for little: a soft dry brush or a cold hairdryer for dust, and a wall without hours of strong direct sun, which yellows the linen in time. The glass does not fade, so the likeness stays as it left the studio. What each part is made of is on the materials page.
Questions this leaves
Can you work from a photo of a photo?
Yes. Photograph the print flat, in daylight and straight on, and upload the result. The create page reads the face, not the paper, so a phone photo of a print is as good a start as any other phone photo, provided the eyes are visible.
Can two pets from two photos go in one piece?
The design is drawn from one photograph, so two subjects need to be in the same frame, close together. If no such photo exists, two separate portraits, one from each photo, share the same square walnut box and hang well side by side.
Can I leave the name off?
Yes. The name is optional. Leave the field empty and the portrait stands alone; if the drawn design comes back with lettering you did not ask for, change it and draw again before approving.
