It took me a while to send the photo because I only had one good picture of Pepper looking straight ahead, and the side of his face was in shade. The first thing I looked for when I opened the box was the pale patch on his lower lip. It was there, along with the whiskers that always curled toward his nose. I like that the rest of the panel is so quiet. You get the feeling of him before you start looking at the individual lines.

They caught the lopsided ear. That was the whole point for me.

The reference photo of my grandfather was quite faded. I asked them to leave the lines around his mouth, and I’m glad I did. The face has the softness of the original without smoothing away his age.

Restrained, tactile, and beautifully framed.

I ordered the more spare composition for a room that already has a lot going on. It has enough detail to hold your eye without taking over the wall. The narrow black frame was the right call.

The ridgeline from our holiday photo came through beautifully.

I'd sent three photos and each caught a different bit of our spaniel. The finished piece gets the curl on his forehead and that slightly wary look he has with strangers. That combination is what makes it him.

The fine lines around Mabel’s ears are so recognisably hers.