Cats · Domestic Shorthair
Custom Domestic Shorthair Portraits, Hand-Painted From Your Photo
We paint Domestic Shorthair portraits by hand from your photo. Trade pricing applies from one piece, and you approve a digital proof before anything ships.
- Coat
- Short, dense coat of any pattern
- Common colours
- tabby, black, white, ginger, tortoiseshell, calico, tuxedo, grey and bicolour
- Build
- Medium, athletic; the classic house cat
- Canvas orientation
- Portrait or square — head-and-shoulders with both ears in frame
- Detail levels
- Painterly · Refined · Hyperreal
- Minimum order
- 1 piece — retail or trade
On the canvas
Painting a Domestic Shorthair: what we pay attention to
The house cat is the cat we paint most, and it gets the same care as any pedigree. The likeness on a cat is subtle: the set and colour of the eyes, the width of the cheeks, the exact markings on the forehead and around the nose. We measure them from your photo at the drawing stage, because a cat painted “generally” is not your cat.
The short coat is painted as fur with direction — short strokes that follow the form over the skull and cheeks, softer at the ruff and the chest. The pattern, whatever it is, is mapped first as shapes and the fur painted through it, so a tabby’s stripes and a tortie’s patches wrap around the body instead of sitting flat. The whiskers are the last strokes, single and unbroken, against a background chosen to show them.
Domestic shorthairs come in every colour on this site’s cat pages — tabby, black, ginger, tortoiseshell, calico, tuxedo, grey — and the notes on those pages apply. Head-and-shoulders with both ears in frame, on a plain ground, is the composition that suits almost every cat photo.
For the trade
Selling Domestic Shorthair portraits?
Breed-specific portraits are a strong seller for Etsy shops, breed clubs, groomers and gift retailers. Order one at trade pricing, or a set for a shop or a single interior, shipped to you or your customer. The same policies apply to every trade account.
See the trade program| Policy | What we offer |
|---|---|
| Minimum order | 1 piece |
| Trade pricing | Applies from the first piece |
| Capacity | 50+ painters in the studio; volume orders in the thousands, not the dozens |
| Largest single piece | Up to 5 m on the longest side — freight is checked before we quote |
| Ship direct to your customer | Yes, worldwide |
| Branding on the parcel | Yours, ours or none — you tell us |
| Sample policy | Discounted first sample |
| Digital proof | Sent for approval before every shipment |
| Payment | Deposit + balance after proof approval |
| Price list | On request |
Recent work
View portfolio →
Every piece is painted by one painter through eight documented stages — see how we paint.
Domestic Shorthair portrait FAQ
My cat is not a breed — is that a problem?
Not at all. Most of the cats we paint are domestic shorthairs, and price is set by size and detail level, never by pedigree. The colour and pattern pages describe how we handle each coat; your cat's is on one of them.
How do you get the likeness on a cat?
From the eyes, the shape of the face and the pattern. Cat faces are subtle — the set of the eyes, the width of the cheeks, the exact markings on the forehead — and we measure them from your photo at the drawing stage.
Can you paint my cat with my dog, or with me?
Yes, from separate photos. We match scale and light and send a sketch of the layout before painting.
Do you paint from a phone photo?
Yes, as long as it is the original file rather than a screenshot or a photo of a photo. Sharp eyes and even light matter more than the camera. Send it and we will confirm whether it will work.
Can I order a single piece at trade pricing for a client?
Yes. Trade pricing starts from a single piece, and a project — a series for one interior, or a standing monthly order — is quoted the same way. Request the trade price list from the trade page.
Ask about a Domestic Shorthair portrait
Send a photo of your Domestic Shorthair and tell us the size you have in mind. We reply with a quote and tell you honestly whether the photo will work.
Thank you — we have your inquiry.
We reply within 24 hours on business days. Want an answer sooner? Message us on WhatsApp and mention your name.
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