Frequently Asked Questions
About Our Custom Portraits
Q: What is a custom house portrait?
A: A custom house portrait is personalized artwork created from a photo of a home or meaningful building. At The House Portrait, we transform customer photos into custom watercolor, traditional watercolor, black and white sketch, and colored line doodle portraits, available as digital artwork or professionally printed physical pieces.
Q: How do I order a custom portrait from a photo?
A: Choose your preferred portrait style, size, and digital or physical format, place your order, and upload a clear photo of the building you would like us to illustrate. We will create your custom artwork from the photo and contact you if we need any additional information.
Q: Can you create portraits of buildings other than houses?
A: Yes. We can create custom portraits of apartment buildings, office buildings, restaurants, cafés, storefronts, hotels, churches, schools, wedding venues, farms, cabins, vacation properties, family businesses, and other meaningful buildings or places.
Q: Can you create a portrait of a business or storefront?
A: Yes. Business and storefront portraits can be created from your photo and are suitable for restaurants, cafés, shops, offices, hotels, and many other businesses. They can also make meaningful gifts for business owners, anniversaries, openings, retirements, or other important milestones.
Q: What portrait styles do you offer?
A: The House Portrait offers several artistic styles, including watercolor, traditional watercolor, black and white sketch, and colored line portraits. Each style transforms your photograph differently while preserving the recognizable character and architectural details of the building.
Photos & Personalization
Q: What kind of photo should I provide?
A: A clear, well-lit photo showing as much of the building as possible works best. Higher-resolution photos generally allow us to capture more detail.
Q: Can you work from an old or imperfect photo?
A: Often, yes. If the building no longer exists or you only have an older photograph, send us the best image available. We can let you know whether the photo contains enough visible detail to create the portrait.
Q: Can you remove objects from the original photo?
A: Yes. Many distracting elements such as cars, bins, signs, temporary objects, or other unwanted details can often be removed or omitted from the portrait. Add your request when ordering so we know what you would like changed.
Q: Can I add an address, family name, date, poem, or other custom text?
A: Yes. Custom text can be added to all of our portrait styles. This can include an address, family name, meaningful date, short message, quote, poem, or other wording you would like included, as long as the requested text fits comfortably within the artwork.
Digital & Physical Portraits
Q: What is included with a digital portrait?
A: You will receive a high-resolution 300 DPI JPG file of your finished custom portrait, ready for printing or digital use. No physical product is shipped with a digital order.
Q: Can I print the digital portrait myself?
A: Yes. Digital portraits are supplied as high-resolution files designed for printing. You can print the artwork yourself where appropriate or use a local or online professional printing service.
Q: Do you offer physical prints and framed portraits?
A: Yes. In addition to digital artwork, our portraits are available as professionally printed physical pieces. Framed options are also available depending on the selected size and product.
Q: What is the difference between a digital and physical portrait?
A: A digital portrait is delivered electronically as a high-resolution file that you can print yourself. A physical portrait is professionally printed for you and shipped to your delivery address, with framing options available for selected sizes.
Creation, Proofs & Revisions
Q: How long does it take to create my portrait?
A: Digital portraits are normally created and delivered within 24 hours during business days. For physical orders, a digital proof is normally provided within 24 hours during business days. Once the proof is approved, the artwork enters printing and fulfillment before being shipped to you.
Q: Can I see a proof before my physical portrait is printed?
A: Yes. Every physical portrait order includes a digital proof before printing. The proof is normally sent within 24 hours during business days so you can review the artwork before the physical piece enters production.
Q: Can I request revisions to my portrait?
A: Yes. Revisions are available as needed within the scope of the original order. We are happy to make adjustments to help ensure the finished portrait reflects your request before the artwork is finalized or sent to print.
Q: Do you offer rush orders?
A: Rush service may be available depending on the portrait and current production schedule. If you need your artwork by a specific date, please contact us before ordering so we can confirm what is currently possible.
Q: What happens if I am not happy with my portrait?
A: Please let us know what needs to be adjusted. Because every portrait is created specifically for you, we will work with you through reasonable revisions within the scope of your original order to help achieve the result you requested.
Gifts & Meaningful Places
Q: Are custom house portraits suitable as gifts?
A: Yes. Custom portraits are frequently chosen for housewarmings, new homes, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, moving-away gifts, realtor closing gifts, retirements, memorials, and other occasions connected to a meaningful place.
Q: Can you create a portrait of a childhood or family home?
A: Yes. A childhood home, longtime family house, grandparents' home, or other personally significant property can be transformed into custom artwork from a suitable photograph, including older photographs when enough detail is visible.
Q: Can you create a portrait as a realtor closing gift?
A: Yes. Custom house portraits can be created from a photograph of the property and personalized for the buyer, making them a distinctive realtor closing gift that commemorates their new home.
Q: Can you create a portrait of a wedding venue or another meaningful place?
A: Yes. It does not need to be necessarily a home. Wedding venues, churches, restaurants, cafés, schools, universities, vacation properties, businesses, and other places connected to an important memory can all be transformed into personalized artwork.