Loose pastel washes that stop right where the fur begins
Watercolor is the gentlest style we offer, and a natural choice for a memorial. It says something a photograph cannot, which is most of the reason it exists.
Free preview first · you approve before it prints · printed in the USA
The style samples share one golden retriever wherever they can (the astronaut is a beagle), so you can compare all 10 mediums like for like.
How Watercolor is drawn
Soft watercolour painting: loose pastel colour splashes, delicate brush strokes, and the characteristic bloom where pigment pools at the edge of a wash. Watercolour is defined by what it leaves out - the paper shows through, the edges stay unresolved, and the face is the only part fully described.
Which pets it suits
Light and multi-coloured coats, which the washes flatter. Long-haired breeds are especially good, since flowing fur and flowing pigment do the same thing. It is also the most forgiving style for an imperfect photo: soft edges hide the sins that Photo Real would magnify.
Whatever the medium, identity outranks it: the generator is told never to change breed, face shape, coat colour, markings, eye colour or ears. The photo guidelines cover what to upload.
How it prints
Watercolour is a paper medium, so it is made for light shirts and keyed into them: the white of the paper is never printed - the shirt becomes the paper - and only the pigment takes ink, fading out where the washes do instead of stopping at a square. Ivory reads as warm cotton rag paper; white is the crispest, closest to a fresh sheet. It is not offered on dark shirts, because a painting built from pale washes has nothing to stand on there.
Every design prints at a 12-inch chest placement on a 16-colour garment range - the mockups above use the real print box.
Price, shirt and shipping
- $34.99
- The printed shirt with your portrait on it, listed at $49.99. Generating and previewing artwork is free.
- Free US shipping
- Every order, no minimum, US addresses only - typically 7-12 business days with tracking.
- Sizes S-2XL
- A premium shirt - Comfort Colors 1717, a garment-dyed heavyweight tee. Printed to order in the USA; the blank is imported.
- Approve before print
- Three free previews a day, for everyone. Nothing prints and nothing is charged until you say yes.
Custom items are not returnable for change of mind. A damaged, misprinted or wrong order is reprinted free or refunded within 30 days - the FAQ has the details, and the size guide has the measurements.
Watercolor questions
Is this a good memorial portrait?＋
Its soft, unhurried look suits one well. There is no special handling for it in the product - the same free preview and the same $34.99 shirt - but the medium is gentler than the photoreal styles.
Will the splashes cover my pet's face?＋
No. The loose washes sit around and behind the subject; the face is the part drawn with the most definition.
Can I use an older or lower-quality photo?＋
This is the best style for one. The soft medium hides noise and softness that a photorealistic render would emphasise - though the face still needs to be visible and identifiable.
Compare another style
Mostly the same dog, a different medium each time - that is the whole point of these samples.
See your own pet in Watercolor
Upload one photo and this style is already chosen for you. The preview is free - decide after you have seen it.
Try Watercolor →