Custom Pet Paint by Numbers: Picking the Photo, Size and Colors for Your Dog or Cat
Yes, any good photo of your dog or cat can become a paint by numbers kit of your own pet. You upload the picture and choose a canvas size and a number of colors. Then you paint a portrait that looks like your animal, not a stock breed picture. It's a popular idea for a reason: 95 million US households own a pet, according to the APPA 2025 National Pet Owners Survey.
What decides the result isn't the brush or the paint. It's the photo, and then the size and color count you match to it. This guide walks through all three for dogs and cats, including the tricky ones: black coats, white coats, tabbies and two pets in one frame.
Key Takeaways
- The photo matters more than any other choice. A sharp, close head-and-chest shot taken at your pet's eye level in soft daylight beats a distant full-body snapshot every time.
- Skip the flash. It can cause "green eye" and frighten your dog, according to Westminster Kennel Club photographer Mary Bloom (Vetstreet).
- Black, white and patterned coats need more colors. On our kits, 24 colors take roughly 8 to 12 hours; 36 colors add about 5 hours and 48 add about 10.
- A 16x20 in canvas suits one pet's head and shoulders. Step up to 24x30 in for two pets or a full-body pose, so each face keeps its detail.
- Check the Color Preview on the product page before you order. It shows how your finished kit will look, so a weak photo shows up before you pay.
Can you turn your own pet into a paint by numbers?
Yes, and the process takes only a few minutes: you upload a photo of your dog or cat, pick portrait or landscape, then choose a canvas size, a canvas type and a color palette. The kit arrives with a numbered canvas, matching paint pots, brushes and an instruction card that pairs each pot with its number.
Two things happen between your photo and the canvas. Smart Sectioning is our algorithm that splits the picture into numbered regions sized for painting by hand. Color Preview is the panel on the product page that shows the finished design and the exact paint colors in your kit, before you order.
The general rules for uploading any photo, such as resolution and cropping, are in what to expect from a custom kit. Everything below is specific to pets, because fur, eyes and wriggly subjects bring problems that people photos don't.
What photo makes the best pet portrait?
The best photo for a pet paint by numbers is a sharp, close head-and-chest shot taken at your pet's eye level. It has soft natural light, both eyes in focus and a plain background. Each of those five things solves a specific problem on the canvas.
Get down to eye level
Most pet photos are taken standing up, looking down. However, that angle works against you. It shrinks the face, stretches the head and hides the eyes under the brow. The American Kennel Club is blunt about it: "You need to shoot at eye level for best results" (AKC, 2026). Vetstreet's advice from Westminster photographer Mary Bloom is the same: put your camera at the same height as your dog's face (Vetstreet).
Use window light, not the flash
Canon's pet photography guide recommends natural light because "it's soft and gently fills in the shadows." A flash, it warns, "may spook your animal" (Canon Europe). A room with large windows on an overcast day is ideal. Avoid a bright window behind your pet. Backlight turns the face into a dark shape, and dark shapes become one or two flat colors on the canvas.
Make the eyes sharp
The eyes carry the likeness, so they need to be the sharpest part of the picture. A catchlight is the small white reflection of a light source in an eye. Canon advises focusing on the eye closest to the camera when the head is at an angle. AKC suggests a reflector to "add life to your dog's eyes"; a sheet of white card held below the face does the job. That small white catchlight can become its own tiny region on the canvas, and it's the detail that makes a painted pet look alive.
Fill the frame with the face
A face that fills a third of a phone screen ends up as a handful of tiny numbered cells. A face that fills most of the frame becomes the painting. For example, we often see lovely full-body photos where the pet is small and far away, and the eyes simply don't survive the conversion. Crop to head and chest, or take a new photo closer in.
Clear the background, and use the original file
Busy backgrounds use up colors your pet needs. We frequently see paws and tails vanish into a patterned rug or a similar-colored blanket, because the two merge into one paint. Move your pet onto a plain floor or against a plain wall. Then upload the original, highest-resolution file from your camera roll, not a screenshot, a messaging-app copy or a filtered version.
| Choose this | Instead of this | Why it matters on the canvas |
|---|---|---|
| Camera at your pet's eye level | Standing up, looking down | Keeps the face in proportion and the eyes visible |
| Soft daylight from a window or shade | Flash, or a bright window behind | Avoids glowing eyes and dark, flat faces |
| Nearest eye in sharp focus | Blurred or half-closed eyes | The eyes keep their shine and shape |
| Head and chest fill the frame | Pet small in a wide scene | Bigger cells around the eyes and nose |
| Plain floor or wall behind | Patterned rug, cluttered room | Fur and paws stay separate from the background |
| Original full-resolution file | Screenshot or filtered copy | Fine fur detail isn't lost before we start |
Why do black, white and patterned coats need extra care?
Because cameras usually get them wrong before the paint ever does. A camera aims for a balanced exposure, so black fur turns grey and the background overexposes. ExpertPhotography calls black dogs "infamously hard to illuminate." For black cats, the most important strategy "is controlling light," and auto modes can under-expose the image (Mental Floss).
On a paint by numbers canvas, an under-exposed black coat becomes one large block of the same dark paint. A well-lit black coat holds blues in the shadows, warm browns where light touches, and a soft highlight along the back. White coats have the opposite problem: they're never pure white, but creams, pale greys and soft gold that a harsh light flattens out.
In fact, the fix is the same for both. Photograph dark or white pets in bright, indirect daylight, and choose more colors so the fur gets several shades instead of one. Tabby stripes, merle patches and calico markings also benefit from 36 or 48 colors, since each marking needs its own boundary. Our high-opacity paints cover the printed numbers in one coat, which matters most in large dark regions where faint numbers could otherwise show through. If you'd rather start with a ready-made design, our cat paint by numbers include black cats, tabbies and Siamese.
Which size and how many colors for a dog or cat?
For one pet's head and shoulders, a 16x20 in (40x50 cm) canvas with 36 colors is the sweet spot for most coats. Our custom paint by number kit comes in that size and a larger 24x30 in (60x75 cm). Both come in portrait or landscape, with 24, 36 or 48 colors.
Size and color count work together. The same photo on a smaller canvas makes smaller, more crowded cells, which is harder to paint and loses detail around eyes and whiskers. More colors give smoother steps from light to dark, which is exactly what fur needs. We explain the general rules in how color counts change the result; here's how they apply to pets.
| Your photo | Canvas | Colors | Painting time (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One pet, short single-tone coat, close-up | 16x20 in | 24 | 8 to 12 hours |
| One pet, fluffy or two-tone coat | 16x20 in | 36 | About 5 hours more |
| Black, white, tabby or long-haired coat | 16x20 in | 48 | About 10 hours more |
| Two pets, or a full-body pose | 24x30 in | 36 or 48 | Longer again: bigger canvas, more cells |
Times come from the palette selector and FAQ on our product page. Painters who've finished a pet portrait often tell us 36 or 48 colors were worth the extra hours. The fur reads as fur rather than flat patches. If the portrait is a gift with a deadline, a lower color count is the safer choice.
For a statement piece, our large custom kit goes from 12x12 in (30x30 cm) up to 55x110 in (140x280 cm). It ships folded rather than rolled, so the canvas may need a soft iron on the back before you start.
Can you put two pets, or a pet and a person, in one kit?
Yes, from one photo where both faces are close to the camera, sharp and lit the same way. Two pets is a common request. According to the AVMA 2025 Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook, 42.6% of US households own a dog and 32.6% own a cat. Owning households average 1.6 dogs and 1.8 cats, so plenty of homes have two faces to paint.
The challenge is space, because two faces share the canvas and each one gets roughly half the cells. Go up a size to 24x30 in, or up to 48 colors, so both pets keep their eyes and markings. The easiest photo has both animals side by side at the same distance, with neither turned away. A pet on someone's lap works well too, as long as both faces are in focus.
Combining two separate photos into one scene isn't a standard option on the kit page. If that's what you have in mind, contact our support team before you order.
Rolled or stretched canvas for a pet portrait?
It depends on how soon you want to hang it. Our standard custom kit comes three ways:
- Rolled canvas: the lowest price. It ships in a protective tube, and you can stretch or frame it later.
- Stretched, assemble at home: a wooden frame you put together. Flatten the canvas first, since the frame holds a flat canvas flat but won't pull a crease out.
- Stretched, pre-assembled: ready to paint and ready to hang, with no tools needed. It's the easiest pick for a gift.
Whichever you choose, our wrinkle-free linen-blend canvas is individually primed, so paint goes on evenly and the edges of small cells stay crisp.
Not after a realistic portrait? Try a pet style
Not every pet portrait has to look like a photograph. Our photo paint by numbers collection turns the same pet photo into a styled design. Choose a Royal Pet Portrait, a Starry Night Pet in swirling blues, a Stained Glass Pet, a Pastel Pet Portrait or a Distinguished Gentleman Pet. That said, styled designs are often more forgiving of an imperfect photo, because the style replaces the background and smooths fine fur.
Don't have a usable photo, or buying for someone else's dog? Our ready-made paint by number pet portraits cover breeds such as French bulldogs, goldendoodles, golden retrievers and dachshunds.
A gift, or a keepsake for a pet you've lost
A custom pet kit makes a personal gift, and many people paint a pet who has passed. Pick the sharpest, best-lit photo you have, even an older one, and check it in the Color Preview first. Spending hours with a pet's face can be a gentle part of grieving. Notably, a review of 27 studies, mostly about losing people, linked visual art with continuing bonds and meaning making, though evidence for easing grief symptoms was modest (Weiskittle & Gramling, 2018). We cover that side in paint by numbers as a memorial gift. Our gift-ready packaging means the kit can go straight to the recipient.
Frequently Asked Questions
At the time of writing (October 2026), our custom kit starts at $39.90 for a 16x20 in rolled canvas with 24 colors. A pre-assembled stretched canvas with 48 colors is $86.90, and the 24x30 in size starts at $99.90. Prices change with sales, so check the product page for today's price.
Plan about 8 to 12 hours at 24 colors; 36 colors add about 5 hours and 48 colors about 10. Most orders arrive within 1 to 2 weeks, depending on your country. If it's a gift with a fixed date, order early and choose a lower color count.
The Color Preview on the product page shows how your finished kit will look before you order. If the eyes look muddy or the fur turns flat, try a closer, brighter photo taken at eye level, or move up to 36 or 48 colors.
Yes. Choose the sharpest, best-lit photo you have, ideally with the eyes in focus, and check it in the Color Preview. A close crop of the face usually works better than a wider shot, even if the original photo is older.
The ASPCA says most acrylic artist paints are "fairly non-toxic," though some pigments can pose a risk, so labels are worth checking (ASPCA). Contact is the lesser concern; ingestion is the one to avoid. Close the pots and keep rinse water out of reach between sessions.
Start with the photo
Before you choose a size or a palette, take one good photo. Shoot at eye level, in window light, with sharp eyes and the face filling the frame. Get that right and the rest is easy. Match the color count to the coat, size up for two pets, and you'll paint a portrait that looks like your pet and nobody else's.
