A custom caricature from photo at Photolamus is drawn by hand by a professional artist, not generated by software and not run through a filter. You upload your pictures, pick a style, and get the finished drawing by email to approve. Revisions are free and unlimited until you like the result. Then you keep the digital file or order a print on canvas, poster, mug, or T-shirt, shipped worldwide. Our artists have been drawing custom caricatures since 2012, and every order starts the same way: with your photo and a few choices in the order form.
How to Order a Custom Caricature from Photo
You can order a caricature online in five steps, and you never need to meet the artist in person:
- Choose the look. Pick a drawing style, the exaggeration level (No, Low, or High), and a theme if you want one. Themes such as romance, superheroes, weddings, professions, hobbies, or movies are a free add-on.
- Describe the idea and upload photos. Tell us who should be in the picture and what they should be doing, then attach the photos.
- Set the drawing time and print. Choose a regular or faster drawing option and decide whether you want a print. The drawing time also depends on how many characters are in the picture.
- Approve the drawing. The finished artwork arrives by email for your approval.
- Get it printed and delivered. Once you approve it, we print your order and ship it.
We confirm every order, or send a custom quote, within 1 business day.
For a good likeness, send clear, high-resolution pictures where the face looks straight at the camera, without overexposure or harsh shadows. You can send several photos of one person. For a group drawing, separate photos of each person work too: the artist puts everyone into one scene. The full walkthrough is on the How It Works page, and when you are ready, order a caricature from photo.
Choose Your Personalized Caricature Style
Photolamus artists work in 20+ styles and techniques, so the same photo can turn into a clean line sketch or a painted portrait. A personalized caricature usually starts with one of these:
| Style | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Outline | clean line art, simple and graphic |
| Digital | full-color digital cartoon |
| Pencil | hand-shaded pencil look |
| Watercolor | soft painted look |
| Pop Art | bold colors and comic-book contrast |
| Anime | Japanese anime-style character |
| Oil Painting | classic painted portrait |
Each style comes in black and white or in color. You also choose how much of the body appears (Head Only, Head and Shoulders, Half Body, or Full Body) and the background: white, one color, custom, or transparent. Every person, pet, vehicle, or object in the picture counts as a separate character. These choices are what make each custom caricature drawing one of a kind, so two orders from the same photo can look completely different. To compare the styles side by side, see our caricature examples.
Custom Caricatures for Every Occasion and Person
Custom caricatures are a personal gift, and the occasion usually decides the scene. Start with the category closest to your idea:
- Birthday caricatures: the guest of honor with their hobby, favorite food, or a joke only friends will get.
- Couple caricatures: anniversaries, engagements, weddings, and Valentine's Day.
- Family caricatures: everyone in one picture, kids and grandparents included.
- Group caricatures: friends, teams, and classmates in one scene.
- Pet portraits: dogs, cats, and other animals, alone or with their owners.
- Profession caricatures and hobby caricatures: the job or passion becomes the theme.
- Corporate caricatures: gifts for employees and clients, team pictures, and company cards.
A caricature gift works when it is about one person: their habits, their look, their story. Tell the artist those details in the order description, and they end up in the drawing. That is what turns a personalized caricature into more than a portrait: the person sees their own story in it.
What You Get: Your Custom Caricature Portrait as a File or Print
Every order includes a digital JPG file at 4,000 px, sent to your email. You can share it online or take it to a print shop. There is no paper original: each custom caricature portrait exists as a digital file or as a print we make for you.
If you want a ready gift, choose a print in the order form:
- canvas print;
- photo paper or poster;
- mug;
- T-shirt.
We ship prints worldwide. Customs duties, taxes, and clearance fees for prints are paid by the buyer, so check your local rules before you order. If a print arrives damaged, or you receive the wrong item, size, or print, tell us within 14 days of receiving the order, and we will replace it.
Free Revisions and Approval Before Printing
Revisions are free and unlimited: our artists keep editing the drawing until you are happy with it. You see the result before anything goes to print, because the finished artwork comes to your email for approval first.
If something is off, describe what to change: a smile, a hairstyle, the pose, the background, a detail of the theme. The artist reworks the drawing and sends a new version. You approve it, and only then do we print. If we don't hear back from you within 3 days after we send the drawing, we go ahead with printing, so reply as soon as you've looked at it.
You talk to the artist through our support managers, so every comment reaches the person who draws your picture.
Hand-Drawn by Artists, Not an App or a Filter
Every Photolamus drawing is 100% hand-drawn by professional artists from your photos. An app turns your photo into a caricature with a preset effect; our artist looks at your face, decides what to exaggerate, and draws the picture from scratch. That is the difference between a hand-drawn photo caricature and the "photo to caricature" tools you find in app stores. When an artist draws your picture, they can follow your ideas, add a theme, combine people from different photos, and redo any part on request.
If you came here to hire a caricature artist, you can do it online with us: you send the photos and the idea, an artist draws your picture, and you approve it by email. Photolamus works online only. We don't book artists for live events or parties, but you can order a drawing for any event and give it as a print or a digital file.
Group and Bulk Orders
Families, friend groups, coworkers, and whole departments can be drawn together. You can send one group photo or separate photos of each person, and the artist will combine them into one scene. See group caricatures for examples and ideas.
For companies and large groups, there is a bulk caricature order:
- discounts start at 20 characters (they don't combine with other sales);
- for orders of 20 people or more, the first person is drawn as a free test, so you can check the style before the rest is drawn;
- a personal manager handles the order from start to finish.
Write to corporate@photolamus.com with the number of people, the style you have in mind, and the date you need it by.