What is Furry Pixels?
Furry Pixels is an illustration business focused on digitally hand-drawn portraits of your pets!
What kind of file will you send?
This is completely up to you!
The digital file will be high resolution (300 dpi), and I recommend ordering a PDF for printing and a PNG for sharing across social media platforms. The portrait sent to you will be ready to print at home or at a print center. I recommend printing on non-glossy cardstock.
How do you draw the portraits?
I started off creating the illustrations using a Wacom Intuous art tablet on a Macbook Pro using Adobe Illustrator.
Once commissions started rolling in, I upgraded to a 10.5 inch iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. I use Procreate to draw the portraits.
The portraits are all handdrawn, with no image manipulation software used. (I've had people ask me if I just outline it in photoshop, but no! It's all free-hand!)
I first sketch out the pet in Procreate using the HB pencil brush, and then I go into detail and create lines using a modified Fine Tip brush. Once I'm happy with the line work, I go in and fill the lines, add shadows and highlights, and finally send it off to you!
How long will it take you to draw my pet?
The length of time it takes to draw your pet depends on the breed and the resolution of photo that you send. It generally takes between 4-5 hours to finish a portrait from start to finish.
The completion of your portrait depends on the time of year. I also do photography, which picks up during summer months. This will cause a delay in the turn-around of the illustration. For Christmas projects, it will depend on how soon you submit your photos and your deposit. Depending on traffic, commissions may close for the month of December, so get your orders in ASAP!
Tips for photo submissions
The best portraits come from photos where the subject is:
- shot in natural light
- facing the camera or are looking slightly to the side
- have the subject either standing or sitting
- taken at, or just above, eye level to the subject
You don't need to use a photo from a DSLR! Most photos from phones will be a high enough resolution. Examples of great, workable portraits are shown below. You can send multiple photos of the same pet. If there are any issues, you will be contacted ASAP!
What is the cost for an illustration?
You can find more information in the "Packages" tab of the website.
A digital file of the portrait is $60.
A digital file and a hard copy (printed on high quality card stock using an InkJet printer) is $70 (+shipping). For each additional hard copy, it is +$5.
Is this only for dogs and cats?
Heck no!
Although that is the primary target, I would love to branch out and work on other animals. I have done rats, and I'm open to try any pet!
Can I have multiple pets in my artwork?
Of course!
I have created portraits with multiple pets from composites of different photos. For each additional pet, it is +$30.
What is your return/refund policy?
Since each portrait is custom made, I do not offer returns.
I will work closely with you to ensure that your final product is exactly what you want. We will communicate back and forth with revisions until the portrait represents your pet perfectly! It should be mentioned that this process has only required 1-2 revisions for the commissions done thus far! For this reason, I do not offer refunds.