When it comes to holiday gifts, I always try to go DIY. But after years of gift-giving, I think I’ve finally exhausted every project I can make with (fairly decent) success. And while I’m sure they’d never say it, I doubt my family members want yet another knitted scarf or handmade candle.
Since learning a new artistic skill by the holidays is a no-go with my hectic schedule, I had to start looking elsewhere for creative inspiration. That’s when I remembered Paint Your Life, a custom portrait service that delivers handmade paintings straight to your door. What’s more, Suggest readers can enjoy an exclusive 30% off their order with promo code SUGGEST30!
Paint Your Life Promises To Dazzle
Paint Your Life guarantees a thoughtful, sentimental, and perfectly customizable gift that will leave your loved ones speechless. Gift grandparents a touching portrait of their grandchildren, or give a new parent a precious memento of when their little one was at their littlest. This service is also a fantastic option for memorializing past and present furry friends.
Because Paint Your Life is totally customizable, you can even create heartwarming memories from scratch. A Paint Your Life artist could, for example, create a stunning portrait of a grandparent and child who could never meet due to the grandparent’s passing. It’s a gift that transcends time and connects generations.
The options for a unique, touching gift your recipient will cherish forever are virtually endless.
The Paint Your Life Process
Unlike other custom gift services that can only promise a print or digital rendering of a photo, Paint Your Life facilitates actual artists to create your custom, hand-painted portrait. You can choose from multiple mediums, including oil, charcoal, watercolor, black or color pencil, pastel, and acrylic.
Paint Your Life also features a vast database of artists with specific areas of expertise. Some specialize in photorealism, while others thrive in more abstract styles. So, you can ensure that you have the best painter for the job, depending on your photograph and medium of choice.
To begin, you select your subject, a.k.a. the people you wish to include in the painting—parent and child, couple, grandparents, children, pets, landscapes, and so on. Then, you choose your desired medium. You can choose your background and artist, or Paint Your Life can do it for you.
Next, you upload your reference photos and add any extra notes for the artist. Paint Your Life will review your files and submit a proof for you to review, and upon your approval, the creative process can begin.
Ordering My Custom Portrait
I researched Paint Your Life last summer for Father’s Day but ended up not ordering anything. (My dad’s not a big painting guy, what can I say?) However, I decided to use this service for my mom, who’s a much bigger fan of sappy, sentimental gifts.
I decided to order a memorial for our three family dogs, the last of which passed away earlier this year. I was excited to use Paint Your Life for this gift for multiple reasons. One, if I tried to paint, draw, or otherwise depict three dogs, they would look like hot dogs with feet at best.
Two, not all three dogs were around at the same time. Our first dog preceded our second and third by several years, which means there are no photos of the three of them together. But thanks to Paint Your Life’s creative experts, my mom will have a group photo of her entire clan of pups for the first time.
And finally, this will be unlike any other gift I’ve ever given her. So, I know this will take her by surprise on Christmas morning and absolutely melt her heart.
Custom Paint Your Life Portrait
Enter SUGGEST30 at checkout to receive 30% off your order.
My Paint Your Life Experience
Creating my custom portrait took about 10 minutes in total. Paint Your Life guides you along every step of the process, adding helpful tips for selecting a canvas size and painting medium. I opted for a 16 x 20” canvas, but they can be as small as 8 x 10” or as big as 36 x 48 inches.
Paint Your Life’s website mentions that if you’re unsure which medium to choose, choose oil, so I did that. It describes oil paintings as “the most popular medium and the most vivid reflection of photos,” so it seemed like a reasonable choice. (Plus, I loved the examples of oil paintings they provide in the Paint Your Life gallery tab.)
I was also shocked at the turnaround time—in a good way. It took less than three hours for an artist to send me a mock-up of my mother’s painting. I submitted a few minor adjustments to make the sizes of each pup more accurate, but otherwise, even the preview was beautiful.
Additionally, Paint Your Life offers several framing options, from sleek gallery wraps to rustic wood to classic black. So, you can ensure your portrait is picture-perfect from the canvas to the matting to the frame. You can also opt to have your portrait rolled so you can add your own frame later.
They’ve slated my portrait completion date as two weeks from the date of my order, and the delivery date is just one week after that. Considering I’d probably need a solid year to complete a piece half as good, I was thoroughly impressed with Paint Your Life’s speedy production.
A Gift They’ll Never Forget
I’m still anxiously awaiting my finished portrait in the mail. But if my mock-up and Paint Your Life’s gallery are any indications, the final product will be nothing short of incredible. Seriously, try to scroll through Paint Your Life’s reaction videos and not cry. If there’s one thing of which I’m sure, this present is bound to create happy tears.
Given the amazing quality, artistry, and easy process, I’d say Paint Your Life’s prices are more than reasonable. Plus, you only pay a 20% down payment upon purchase. You pay the remaining balance after you’ve approved your portrait, which ensures you’re not shelling out money for a gift you don’t like. Financing is also available.
And for a limited time, Paint Your Life is offering an exclusive discount for Suggest readers. Simply enter SUGGEST30 at checkout to receive 30% off your order.
A custom Paint Your Life portrait is a gift that will keep on giving long after the holidays are over. I chose a dog memorial piece, but the options are virtually endless. Whether you choose to use a wedding portrait, family photo, scenic landscape, or your recipient’s favorite celebs as inspiration, the finished product is sure to amaze.
Order your custom portrait now (and enjoy 30% off with SUGGEST30), and solidify your spot as this holiday season’s Best Gift Giver.