So I've been making custom pet portrait pendants for a while and people keep asking me the same thing — how do you make it look so much like my actual pet?

I think it mostly comes down to two things: the eyes and the fur/whisker details. Figured I'd share what I've learned in case anyone's curious.

Eyes — this is where most of the "soul" comes from

For dogs, I use a rounded sphere shape for the eye, with a slight recessed ring around it (like an eyelid) and a tiny concave dimple in the center for the pupil highlight. It sounds fussy but that little dimple is what gives dogs that warm, goofy, lovable look.

For cats, it's a plump diamond outline with a small pupil inside. Cats have that whole "I'm judging you" energy and the diamond shape just... captures it perfectly lol.

Whiskers — cats need them, dogs don't

Dogs are fine without whiskers — you get their personality through the snout and brow area. But cats? You absolutely cannot skip the whiskers. Those few sweeping lines are what make it instantly recognizable as a cat and not just a small fuzzy blob.

Still learning and experimenting as I go honestly. Happy to answer questions if anyone has them — or if you've done similar work I'd love to hear how you approach it!