In this guide
The best personalised Christmas gifts are the ones built from a photo that already matters: a hand-painted portrait of family or a pet, or a favourite photo printed on canvas. Hand-painted portraits take 21 to 28 days to make and canvas prints 10 to 14 days, so order paintings by about 10 November and prints by late November. A gift card covers anyone you leave late.
What are the best personalised Christmas gifts?
A personalised gift works when the person opening it recognises something only they could own. A name on a mug does that for a week. A painting of their children, their parents on their wedding day, or the dog that sleeps across their feet does it for decades, because it hangs where they see it every morning.
That is why we put a custom portrait at the top of the list. An oil painting portrait from your photo is painted by hand, in oils on canvas, by a professional artist working from the picture you upload. You choose Realism, Impressionist or Pop Art, people or pets, and one to four subjects on the one canvas.
Below the portrait, the other strong personalised options are a favourite photo printed on canvas, a hand-painted reproduction of a painting that means something to the two of you, and, for anyone you are short of time for, a gift card. Each has a different make time, which matters more in November than anything else.
How the main personalised options compare
| Gift | What makes it personal | Make time | Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-painted portrait from a photo | Their own people or pets, painted in oils | 21 to 28 days | 40 x 50 cm to 100 x 150 cm |
| Your own photo printed on canvas | A favourite photo, stretched and ready to hang | 10 to 14 days | 40 x 50 cm to 100 x 150 cm |
| Hand-painted reproduction of a famous painting | A painting tied to a shared memory or trip | 21 to 28 days | Depends on the artwork's shape |
| Gift card, $50 to $2,000 | They choose the portrait or painting themselves | Any time | Not applicable |
When should you order personalised Christmas presents?
Timing is the part most people get wrong with personalised Christmas presents, because anything made to order has to be made. Our official make times are 21 to 28 days for hand-painted paintings and custom portraits, and 10 to 14 days for canvas prints. Busy periods such as the lead-up to Christmas can run longer, so build in a margin.
Our Christmas guidance is simple. Portraits are best ordered by October, because they include an approval step: you see a photo of the finished painting and can ask for changes before it is sent. Hand-painted reproductions are best ordered by about 10 November, canvas prints by late November, and gift cards can be bought right up to Christmas Eve. Delivery is free Australia-wide, and you can read how it works on our dispatch and delivery page.
- Now, early November: order hand-painted reproductions this week. A portrait ordered now is still a good gift, but it may land after Christmas, so plan the reveal (see below).
- By about 10 November: last sensible date for hand-painted paintings.
- By late November: last sensible date for canvas prints of your own photo.
- Any time up to Christmas Eve: gift cards.
If a portrait will arrive after the day, one option is to wrap the photo you sent the artist with a handwritten note saying the painting is on its way. The approval photo of the finished painting makes a good second reveal in January.
Is a photo on canvas one of the best personalised photo gifts?
For personalised photo gifts with a tighter deadline, a canvas print of your own photo is the quickest route to something that hangs on the wall. Print Your Own Image on Canvas takes the photo you upload and prints it on canvas, then stretches and frames it in Melbourne, with a make time of 10 to 14 days.
Sizes run 40 x 50, 50 x 60, 60 x 90, 75 x 100 and 100 x 150 cm. The finish options are Stretched Ready to Hang, or a Black, Gold, Silver or White Floating Frame, which adds about 2 to 3 cm per side. If you are unsure which size suits their wall, the size guide walks through it by room.
Personalised canvas: print or painting?
A personalised canvas print reproduces your photo exactly, including the lighting and any blur, so it suits sharp, well-lit photos and occasions with a deadline. A hand-painted portrait lets the artist fix what the camera got wrong: a cluttered background, a lead, closed eyes in one shot. Our guide on which photos work best for an oil painting covers the difference in detail.
Choose the print when the photo is already right and time is short. Choose the painting when the photo is precious but imperfect, or when the gift needs to feel like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
Is a custom pet portrait a good personalised Christmas gift?
For anyone whose dog or cat is part of the family, a custom pet portrait is often the gift that gets the strongest reaction. It works for a pet that is very much alive and in charge of the couch, and just as well as a memorial for one that has passed.
The same portrait product paints pets: choose Pet, then one to four subjects. Up to four animals, or people and pets together, can share one canvas, and photos taken at different times can be combined. Backgrounds can be changed, and leads and harnesses left out. Our custom pet portraits page shows the styles side by side.
Pick a photo taken at the pet's eye level in daylight, with the eyes sharp. For dog and cat lovers in particular, our guide to gifts for dog lovers has more ideas by budget and space.
Can a famous painting be a personal gift?
Personal does not always mean a photo. A painting can be personal because of where you first saw it, the trip it reminds you of, or the line someone once said about it. A couple who stood in front of Klimt's The Kiss at the Belvedere in Vienna will read a reproduction of it very differently from anyone else.
The Klimt The Kiss reproduction is hand-painted in oils and square only, in 60 x 60, 75 x 75, 90 x 90, 110 x 110, 150 x 150 and 175 x 175 cm. It comes Rolled in a Tube - Canvas Only (No Frame), Stretched Ready to Hang (Gallery Wrap Inner Frame), or in floating and ornate frames such as the Gold Ornate Outer Frame, which adds about 8 to 12 cm per side.
Browse the famous masterpieces collection or the Klimt collection for the painting that matches your shared story. If you want to check how it would look before buying, See it in your room places the painting on a photo of the wall, to scale.
What are the best last minute Christmas gifts that still feel personal?
If you are reading this close to the day, the honest answer is a gift card. A Direct Art gift card comes in values from $50 to $2,000 and can be bought any time, including Christmas Eve. They then choose a portrait of their own people or pets, a canvas print, or a painting from about 2,700 hand-painted reproductions.
To make it feel personal rather than generic, tuck the gift card details into a Christmas card along with the photo you think they should have painted. It turns the gift card into a promise of a specific portrait. The gift certificates page has the details on how they work.
For more ideas grouped by who you are buying for, see our Christmas gifts for art lovers page and the wider canvas prints collection.
What if they do not love it?
Every order, custom portraits included, carries our 30-day money-back guarantee. You can also cancel within 24 hours of ordering for a full refund.
Custom portraits start with a 20% deposit. When the painting is finished you get a photo of it to approve, with unlimited free changes before approval, and the balance is charged only once you approve. Paintings are 100% hand-painted in oils by professional, university-trained artists, and we hold 4.81 out of 5 from more than 550 customer reviews.
Questions people ask
Where can I buy personalised Christmas gifts Australia-wide with free delivery?
Direct Art Australia is Australian owned and has traded since 2013. Custom portraits, canvas prints of your photo, hand-painted reproductions and gift cards all ship free Australia-wide, with no minimum spend, and Afterpay and Zip are available.
What are good personalised family gifts?
A family portrait painted from a photo is the strongest personalised family gift, because up to four subjects, people or pets, fit on one canvas and photos can be combined if the family has never been in one shot together. For larger groups, ask us before ordering.
Can I combine people from different photos into one portrait?
Yes. Upload a clear photo of each person or pet and say how you want them arranged. The artist combines them into one scene, and you approve a photo of the finished painting before the balance is charged.
How long does a personalised oil painting take?
Hand-painted portraits and paintings take 21 to 28 days to make, and canvas prints take 10 to 14 days. The lead-up to Christmas can run longer, so order portraits by October and paintings by about 10 November where you can.
Related guides
- Christmas Art Gift Guide: What to Order, and When to Order It
- Oil Painting from a Photo: Which Photos Work Best
- Christmas Gifts for Couples: Portraits and Paintings for Two
Next step: choose the photo, then start your oil painting portrait from a photo with a 20% deposit.
