Hello, I’m Sophie Tan (Stan)
Artist, animal lover and the person behind every painting you see here.
hello
i'm so excited to get started on your commission
want to read about how this all started?
I’ve always drawn animals.
Sketchbooks full of muddy dogs, sleepy cats and anything that would sit still long enough. Paint on my sleeves, paper everywhere - that’s pretty much how it began and not much has changed.
What started as portraits for friends slowly turned into regular commissions. Then word of mouth did its thing. People wanted paintings of the animals they lived with every day - not perfect photos, just something that actually felt like them.
I still work the same way now as I did then. One painting at a time, by hand, in my studio.
Most people already have hundreds of photos on their phone.
But every so often there’s one expression you recognise instantly - the look they give you at the door, the way they settle into their spot, the face you see every day.
That’s what I try to keep in a painting.
Not a posed version, just something familiar you enjoy having around.
Why portraits matter
Carefully packaged and shipped
High-quality archival materials
Worked on collaboratively before I start painting
Created from your own photographs
Hand-painted in my studio
Made with care
Made with care
Hand-painted in my studio
Created from your own photographs
Worked on collaboratively before I start painting
High-quality archival materials
Carefully packaged and shipped
I feel incredibly lucky this is my job - thank you for trusting me with your animals.
We asked Sophie to combine two dogs who had never been photographed together and she made it look completely natural. You’d never know they weren’t in the same picture originally.
You’d never know they weren’t in the same photo.
I wasn’t sure how well a painting could capture our dog from a few phone photos, but Sophie absolutely nailed it. The expression is spot on and everyone who visits notices it straight away. It genuinely feels like him.
The expression is spot on - it genuinely feels like him.
The whole process was really easy. Sophie helped me choose the best photo and kept me updated while she was working. The finished portrait was even better than I expected and now has pride of place in our living room.
The finished portrait was even better than I expected.
Such a lovely experience from start to finish. Communication was clear, the timescale was accurate and the painting feels really personal rather than decorative. I’d happily recommend her to anyone thinking about a pet portrait.
