Pet portraits have never been so easy to create, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence software that can instantly turn a photo of a cat or dog into anything from a Renaissance nobleperson to a celebrity crooner.
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that → create → crooner
However, hand-painted pet portraits are still very much a going concern.
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portraits → paint → ?
The Post talked to four artists whose business is booming, thanks to artistic talent and pet owners who believe only a human can capture the personality of their beloved animal.
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human → talk → animal
Bold choice
Ben Lenovitz has been painting pet portraits for eight years and has a regular gig at the home goods store Fishs Eddy in the Flatiron District.
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Lenovitz → paint → District
In a studio there, he paints pets from photos, which are mostly submitted to his website.
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which → paint → website
However, he is available in person, first-come, first-served, in the store from 1 to 4p.m. on Saturdays.
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he → serve → Saturdays
He uses acrylic paints in broad brushstrokes, capturing the pet’s personality in an almost cartoonlike way.
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He → use → way
He paints on cardboard to make the art seem less serious.
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art → paint → cardboard
Brown is also a good midtone found in many animals’ coats, and contrasts with a light blue background.
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Brown → find → background
“I’ve learned over time that every pet is unique, and how to paint fur better, and to focus on the eyes,” Lenovitz, 34, told The Post in January from Thailand, where he was taking a winter break to study ecological communities.
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he → learn → communities
“Most dogs have Resting Sad Face, but when their tongues come out, their eyes look super happy.
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eyes → have → Face
Lenovitz spends about 40 minutes on a painting.
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Lenovitz → spend → painting
“I don’t want to overpaint, and some of my best work is done quickly.”
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some → want → work
He charges $400 for a framed, 22” x 17” portrait of one pet.
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He → charge → pet
He’s noticed pet owners are becoming “more obsessed,” especially those who got a dog during COVID, then realized “it gave them a whole new love, it became their priority.”
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it → notice → love
The Battery Park City native never had a pet growing up, and is highly allergic to cats and dogs.
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native → have → cats
“Just their saliva in the air gives me asthma,” Lenovitz said.
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Lenovitz → give → asthma
“But to their owners, they’re the most magic being in their life.
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they → ’re → life
I never understood that until now, and I’m a bit jealous of that.”
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I → understand → that
Amanda Moeckel is a pet portraitist and children’s book illustrator based in Warwick, NY.
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Moeckel → base → Warwick
She cut her teeth doing pet portraits in New York City, and moved during the pandemic.
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She → cut → pandemic
She works half-time creating custom pet portraits, primarily of dogs (75%) and cats (25%), completing 42 commissions in 2025.
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She → work → 2025
This is high-end stuff: She works in acrylic paint, from photos, and spends two to four weeks on each piece.
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She → work → piece
Moeckel selects the best photos with clients, creates digital mockups in Procreate on her iPad and sends progress photos at the halfway point and before completion, to ensure accuracy of details like facial markings.
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Moeckel → select → markings
She mixes her blacks from blues, reds and yellows to create more dimensional fur.
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She → mix → fur
She attributes increased business to a backlash against AI art, with clients seeking authentic, handmade work.
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clients → attribute → work
She also conducts live portrait events at stores and veterinary hospitals, creating 15-minute acrylic sketches.
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She → conduct → sketches
Memorial portraits for deceased pets make up a significant portion of her commissions.
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portraits → make → commissions
“I love when they hit me with a long email, it shows me the love that they have for their pet, and helps me choose the right pose for the portrait, or the right expression,” Moeckel told The Post.
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Moeckel → love → Post
“In the past couple decades, there’s been more of a push for handmade art, and even in the last year or so, AI has brought the conversation to the forefront about what makes good art,” she said.
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she → bring → art
Moeckel doesn’t feel at all threatened by software trained on other people’s work
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Moeckel → threaten → work
: “I can’t imagine people wanting to consume art that’s not made by a human.
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that → imagine → human
It’s missing the voice and the perspective of a human.
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It → miss → human
All of our accumulated experiences in life are inside our bodies and come out.”
Master class
Hannah Stahl runs Huund, specializing in classical oil paintings on canvas, using Old Master techniques.
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Stahl → accumulate → techniques
She has completed over 170 commissioned portraits, and lives in Rhode Island.
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She → complete → Island
Pet portraiture has become her full-time gig, and she always has five to 12 people in line.
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she → become → line
“My clients know every expression, every posture, every hair, and I think what they really want is someone to see their dog or cat the way they do,” Stahl told The Post.
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Stahl → know → Post
She says when people realize their pet won’t live forever, they get motivated.
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they → say → ?
“Our animals mark these chapters in our lives.
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animals → mark → lives
A lot of people are like, ‘My dog has gotten me through this divorce, or this heartbreak, or my mother passing,’ ” she said.
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she → get → divorce
…and 30 more, not listed.
The Aporia
