Memorial
Happy 20th Birthday, Gabao — How a Custom Wool Felted Portrait Brought a Beloved Husky Home Again
· 5 min read · by the Felted Pet studio
Every year on 18 March, Gabao's family still set a plate at the table. Salmon, beef, a little steamed carrot — the birthday meal he got for sixteen years, served to an empty cushion for four more.
This year his owner wrote to ask whether we could make him present for it.
Working from old photographs
Photos from 2006 are not what modern colour matching expects. The blues were oversaturated, the whites blown out, and the only clear shot of Gabao's face was a printed photo scanned on a home flatbed.
We asked the family three questions instead: was the mask more grey or more black, did the eyes read pale ice blue or closer to grey, and how did the fur sit on his chest. Their answers were more reliable than the file.
The birthday
The portrait arrived two days early. They photographed it beside the plate, in the same spot on the same table, and sent us the picture that afternoon.
We do not think a felted portrait replaces an animal. But it does give grief somewhere to sit.
Thinking about a piece of your own?
Send us four photos and we will tell you honestly what will work and what will not, before you pay anything.