Upload a JPEG, PNG or HEIC of one sitter, or two side by side, looking toward the lens so the eyes can be read. Daylight helps and blur is forgivable; the ordinary source is a phone snap of a dog in an armchair. A subject facing away, or a whole crowd in one frame, cannot be worked from.
What makes a good photo for a glass portrait?
A face, roughly towards the camera, with the eyes visible. That is nearly the whole rule; daylight helps, and sharpness matters less than you would think.
- One subject, or two close together
- Roughly facing the camera, so there is a face to read
- Eyes visible: they get the most time of any part of the piece
- Daylight rather than a dim room
- A phone photo is fine; it does not need to be sharp
The photograph above is the one the studio's own Bernese, Moose, was drawn from. The piece drawn from it hangs on the wall on the create page, hung on the wall the card draws it onto.
What cannot be worked from?
A subject facing away, or a whole crowd in one frame. The first has no face to read; the second has too many for one square.
| The photo | Works | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One subject facing the camera, eyes visible | Yes | There is a face to read, and the eyes to spend the time on |
| Two close together | Yes | They share the square; the drawn design shows how |
| A phone photo, a little soft | Yes | It does not need to be sharp |
| A subject facing away | No | There is no face to read |
| A whole crowd in one frame | No | Too many faces for one portrait |
Which file types can I upload?
JPEG, PNG or HEIC. Those cover what a phone saves and what a scanner or a camera produces, so the photo can go up as it is.
With no photo to hand, the create page's describe tab takes words instead: a beagle in a red bandana, say, and the design is drawn from them. For a piece of lettering alone, a quote or a sign, the words tab needs no picture either. The portrait, name, quote or sign guide compares them.
What happens to my photo?
The studio's only use for it is drawing and building your piece, and it is erased once the order is complete.
Nobody resells it, publishes it or trains anything on it. The studio checks the design against the photograph before the first piece of glass is cut, and that is the last thing the photograph is used for.
What if the design is not right?
Edit the name or swap the photo and let it draw again. No card is needed and no charge made until one is approved.
The upload tab also takes an optional AI touch, a line about the background or the style, a scarf on him or a daisy tucked behind her ear, which is drawn into the design beside your photo. 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, and there is no return on the piece, so approve the one that looks like them. What the studio does with it after that is on the materials and process page.
Questions this leaves
Can I upload more than one photo?
The create page takes one photo for one design. Two subjects need to be in the same frame, close together, so that the design can be drawn from a single photograph. You can draw as many designs as you like, each from its own photo, before approving one.
Does the background of the photo matter?
Less than the face. The portrait is built on a natural linen ground, so a busy sofa or a lawn behind the dog is not what gets made. What matters is that the subject faces the camera and the eyes are visible.
Can I describe the pet instead of uploading a photo?
Yes. The describe tab on the create page draws a design from words, a fawn pug with a black mask, his head tilted, and the pets in the shop are examples you can start from in the same way. A portrait of your own pet is truest from a photo, though.
Can I add a name under the portrait?
Yes, up to 20 characters, typed under the photo on the create page and worked into the design beneath the portrait. If the design comes back with lettering you did not ask for, edit it and let it draw again; no charge is made until you approve.
