The Almanac: Pet Portrait and Wall Art Guides

Decorating Ideas

Black Cat and Jack O Lantern wall art hanging in a styled room: a black cat on cold stone steps above a glowing carved jack o lantern

Moody Halloween Decor Ideas: Vintage Style Halloween Wall Art

Moody Halloween decor is candlelight, black cats and old glass instead of inflatables and neon. Here are five ways to get the look, and where to hang the art so it lasts past October.

Glass Ornament wall art hanging in a styled room: one red glass ornament hanging from a pine branch above a wooden crate of old ornaments in straw

Moody Christmas Decor Ideas for a Vintage Style Home

Moody Christmas decor is deep green, brass and candlelight instead of bright red and white. Here are six ways to get the look, a color palette, and the art that holds it together.

Stockings by the Hearth wall art hanging in a styled room: three stockings hung from a rough-hewn mantel above a tended fire, a wreath with brass bells overhead

Christmas Gallery Wall Ideas With Vintage Style Art

A Christmas gallery wall is easiest with three to six pieces that share a palette. Here are three layouts that work, with sizes and spacing, plus how to go moody or rustic.

Dried Corn and Apron wall art hanging in a styled room: dried corn, a worn work apron and herb bundles hanging from a peg rail beside a candle lantern

What Size Art Goes Above a Couch, Bed or Fireplace?

Art over furniture should be about two-thirds the width of the piece below it, hung 8 to 10 inches above it. Here is the math for a couch, a bed and a mantel, with a simple size table.

Turkey Dinner wall art hanging in a styled room: a carved turkey on a pewter platter by candlelight with a glass of red wine

Moody Fall Decor Ideas: Vintage Style Art for Thanksgiving

Moody fall decor is deep harvest color, low candlelight and still life art, without a single skeleton. Here are four ways to get the look, plus Thanksgiving wall decor ideas for the dining room and kitchen.

Custom cat portrait of a cat sitting on a bookshelf among leather-bound classics, framed and hanging on a wall at home

Dark Academia Decor Ideas: Art That Makes a Room Feel Like an Old Library

Dark academia decor makes a room feel like an old library at night: dark wood, stacked books, low lamps and moody art. Here are the five elements, and how to choose the art.

Gift Help

Custom dog portrait of a dog guarding the cookies and milk left out for Santa, framed and hanging on a wall at home

Gifts From the Dog (or Cat): What to Give “From” Your Pet

The best gift from the dog is one only the dog could give: a portrait of themselves doing their favorite thing. Ideas for every holiday, and what the card should say.

Custom dog portrait of a dog surrounded by a toy basket it has just emptied, framed and hanging on a wall at home

What to Get a Dog Lover for Christmas

The best Christmas gift for a dog lover is about their dog, not dogs in general. Seven ideas, from a portrait of their own dog to a day out together, with the dates to order by.

Custom cat portrait of a cat curled on a velvet reading chair beside an open book, framed and hanging on a wall at home

What to Get a Cat Lover for Christmas

The best Christmas gift for a cat lover is about their cat, not cats in general. Seven ideas, from a portrait of their own cat to a weekend of cat sitting, with the dates to order by.

A dog resting its chin on the table in the Dinner Guest scene, a custom pet portrait styled as a Christmas gift idea

Christmas Gifts for Cat and Dog Lovers That Get Hung, Not Returned

Another candle, another mug, another thing that ends up in a drawer. Here’s the gift that actually gets hung on a wall, for the cat person or dog person on your list.

Custom cat portrait of a ginger and white longhaired cat curled into the branches of a lit Christmas tree with tinsel and glass ornaments, from the new Heirloom Christmas scene

Our New Christmas Pet Portrait Collection Just Went Live

Seven new Christmas scenes for cats and dogs, from tangled tree lights to a cat who’s already claimed the gift box. Here’s what’s new in the Heirloom Tails Christmas collection.

Custom dog portrait of a dog proudly carrying a stick far too big for the doorway, framed and hanging on a wall at home

Gift Ideas for Dog Dads (That Aren’t Another Mug)

The best gift for a dog dad is the one that’s about his dog, specifically. Here are six ideas ranked by how personal they are, with timing tips for birthdays and Christmas.

Ordering & Printing

Custom cat portrait before and after: the customer’s original photo beside the finished illustration of a cat sitting on a bookshelf among leather-bound classics

What Photo Should I Send for a Pet Portrait?

Send a sharp, full-size photo taken in daylight, with your pet’s face toward the camera and both eyes and ears visible. Here is the full checklist, plus tips for black cats and dark coats.

Custom cat portrait of a cat curled up asleep inside a porcelain bathroom sink, framed and hanging on a wall at home

How Much Does a Custom Pet Portrait Cost?

A custom pet portrait from Retro Reverence costs $19 as a digital file, from $59 as a fine art print and from $95 as a gallery canvas. Here is what each price gets you, and what moves the number up or down.

Custom cat portrait of a cat nestled into the branches of a lit Christmas tree, framed and hanging on a wall at home

How Long Does a Custom Pet Portrait Take? (Christmas Order Dates)

A custom digital portrait arrives within 3 business days of receiving your photos. A print or canvas takes about 1 to 2 weeks. Here is the full timeline, and the last days to order for Christmas.

Gingerbread Man Cookie wall art hanging in a styled room: a ribboned gingerbread man beside rolled dough with a cutout and tin cutters

How to Print a Digital Download at Home or at a Print Shop

A good digital art file prints beautifully three ways: on your home printer, at a local print shop, or through an online print lab. Here is how to choose, what paper to ask for, and which frame fits.

Custom dog portrait of a polite dog at the dining table with its chin at table level, framed and hanging on a wall at home

Canvas vs Print: Which Is Better for Wall Art?

A fine art paper print is crisper, costs less and looks best framed. A gallery canvas has texture, needs no frame and has more presence on the wall. Here is how to choose, and what giclée means.

How It’s Made

A watchful cat sitting between wooden stair banisters, keeping an eye on the house, the everyday pose behind The Supervisor heirloom portrait

Vintage Style Pet Portraits That Look Like Your Actual Pet

A vintage style pet portrait should look like your pet, not a pose. We capture the box they claimed, the stick too big for the door, the stare through the banisters. Here’s why that’s the whole idea behind Heirloom Tails.

A dog waiting patiently by the leash and boots in the Heirloom Entryway scene.

They’re Wild. They’re Wonderful. They’re Yours.

A personalized, vintage-style artwork celebrating the silly little quirks that make your pet unmistakably yours. Not a photo copy, but a one-of-a-kind piece made just for you.

Pet Loss

The same scene of a dog curled asleep on the good sofa in afternoon light, rendered with a different dog, showing how the portrait adapts to any coat and markings

A Christmas Gift for Someone Who Lost a Pet This Year

The first Christmas without a pet is a quiet, hard one. These are gentle gifts that make room for that pet in the season, what to write with them, and when to order.

Custom dog portrait of a dog carrying its own Christmas stocking to the fireplace, framed and hanging on a wall at home

Honoring Your Pet at Christmas: Ornament, Tree and Stocking Ideas

The first Christmas without them is quiet in a way nobody warns you about. Here are gentle ways to keep your pet part of the season: an ornament, a small tree, their stocking and a place on the mantel.

A dog resting on a floral cottage sofa in a warm, quiet room, a gentle everyday scene from the Heirloom Tails collection

Grieving a Pet: What Actually Helps (And What’s Normal to Feel)

Losing a pet is its own kind of grief. Here’s what’s actually normal to feel, how long it tends to last, and what genuinely helps.

Custom dog portrait of a dog sprawled over an open book beside a lit fireplace, illustrated in a painterly vintage style

What to Get Someone Whose Dog Died

The gifts that help most are the ones that show you knew their dog. Here are six ideas, when to give them, and what to say.

Custom cat portrait of a cat sunning itself on a windowsill among terracotta pots, illustrated in a painterly vintage style

What to Get Someone Whose Cat Died

Cats live in the small places of a home: the windowsill, the good chair, the warm laundry. The gifts that help most honor those places. Here is what to give, and when.

Custom dog portrait of a dog wrapped up in a blanket like a burrito, only its face showing, illustrated in a painterly vintage style

What to Write in a Pet Sympathy Card

Keep it short, use the pet’s name, and share one real memory if you have one. Here are 15 messages for friends, family, coworkers and more, plus what to leave out.