> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://inkedlines.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Combine Photos into One Portrait: How Family Drawings Work - URL: https://inkedlines.com/combine-photos-into-one-portrait/ - Published: 2026-10-22T13:57:28.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T12:04:32.000Z - Description: Have a photo of Mum and a separate one of Dad? Here is how I join photos of people who were never in the same room into one family line drawing, and what to send. - Author: Inked Lines - Tags: OpenHeartLines The message I get most often goes something like this: "I have a photo of Mum and one of Dad from before he died. Can you put them together?" Usually the answer is yes. You can combine photos into one portrait even when the people in it were never in the same room, and most of our family drawings start that way. Quick answer: send one clear photo of each person, taken face-on or close to it, in decent light. I pick one photo as the base for pose and angle, then redraw everyone else to match its scale. Line art is forgiving here because there is no background to blend. The usual problem is a photo too small or too dark to read a face from. Below I go through how the joining works and what to check before you order. If you have never ordered a custom portrait, start with our guide to [ordering a custom line art portrait from a photo](https://inkedlines.com/custom-line-art-portrait-from-photo/), which covers the basics. ## How we combine photos into one portrait Nothing gets cut out and pasted. Each person is redrawn by hand onto a single layout, with their own photo used for the face and the base photo guiding everything else. ### Choosing a base photo I start with whichever photo has the most people in it, or the pose you like best. Its camera angle becomes the target, and every other face is adjusted to fit. Tell me if you have a favourite. If you don't, I go for the one where the faces are largest and the light falls from one clear side, because that gives me the most to match against. ### Matching head size and angle Head size gives away a badly combined portrait faster than anything else. A selfie taken at arm's length makes a face look bigger and rounder than one taken across a room, so I redraw each head to a consistent scale. If your sister is a head shorter than your dad, please tell us. A photo cropped at the shoulders won't show it. The angle of each face matters as well. A face turned slightly left sits happily next to one looking straight ahead, but two people turned away from each other look as if they have had a row. I usually turn the shoulders a little so the group faces inward. ### Making the group look like one moment Small points of contact do most of the work. A hand on a shoulder, or two heads tilted towards each other, can make people drawn from separate photos look like a family. We can add contact that isn't in any of the photos, such as an arm around a grandchild, but we always ask first. Clothing is normally drawn as it appears in each photo. A wedding suit next to a hoodie can look odd, so some people prefer plain tops for everyone. That one is purely a matter of taste, and both work. ## What to check in your photos before ordering Go through each photo against this list before you send it. A few minutes here saves a round of changes later. - The face fills a decent part of the frame. If you have to zoom in until it blurs, it is too small. - Both eyes are visible, or at least the near eye and the line of the nose. - Sunglasses are off, or you are happy for them to stay on in the drawing. - The light is even. Harsh midday sun or a flash in a dark room flattens the shape of a face. - Nothing covers the mouth or chin, such as a hand or a pint glass. - It is the original file, not a screenshot of a screenshot. Some messaging apps strip out a lot of detail when you send photos through them. - The person looks the way you want them remembered. The most recent photo is not always the right one. - You have noted anything the photo doesn't show, like a height difference or the glasses they always wore. Old prints are fine. Scan them, or lay them flat by a window and photograph them with the phone held straight above, so the face isn't stretched. A faded colour print from the 1980s often works better than a grainy modern photo. ## Adding pets and loved ones who have passed A lot of the combined portraits I draw are memorial pieces. Someone wants Grandad in the picture with grandchildren he never met, or the family dog who died last spring sitting at everyone's feet. Line art suits this well because everyone gets the same weight of line on the page, so nobody looks dropped in from an older photo. For pets, send a photo where I can see the eyes and the shape of the ears, ideally taken at the animal's own level rather than from above. Mention any markings that matter to you, like a white patch on the chest. One photo can easily miss them. If your photos are already sorted, have a look at the examples in [the OpenHeartLines shop on Etsy](https://www.etsy.com/shop/OpenHeartLines?utm%5Fsource=inkedlines&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=article) and place your order there, with a short note on who is who in each photo. ## Choosing a layout for a family line art portrait A single row suits up to four or five adults. Larger families sit better in two rows, with adults at the back and children or pets in front. It helps to know where the print will hang before you decide. A long, low row fits above a sofa or sideboard, while a taller, tighter group suits a narrow hallway wall or a frame on a desk. You get a high-resolution digital file, so you can print it at whatever size suits the space. The shape is fixed once the drawing is done, though. ### Adding names or a short line of text Plenty of people add a first name under each person, or one line along the bottom. A surname and a year usually reads better than a long quote. Long quotes crowd a line drawing. ## What to send with your order A clear note saves more time than perfect photos do. Label each photo with the person's name and where they should stand. Even a rough sketch on paper, photographed on your phone, helps. Tell us which photo to use as the base if you have a preference, and anything you would like changed, such as a closed mouth instead of a laugh. You will see a draft before anything is final. Use it to check heights and who stands next to whom, because moving people is easy at that stage and much harder later. If your photos pass the checklist, you are ready to [order a combined family portrait](https://www.etsy.com/shop/OpenHeartLines?utm%5Fsource=inkedlines&utm%5Fmedium=blog&utm%5Fcampaign=article). Send them over with a short note and we will take it from there. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many photos can be combined into one portrait? There is no fixed limit, but each person needs their own clear photo, and faces get smaller as the group grows. Six or seven people fit comfortably on a standard print. Beyond that, two rows help, and it is worth messaging before you order so the layout is agreed. Pets need a clear photo of their own too. ### Can you add someone who has passed away? Yes, and it is one of the requests we get most. Send the clearest photo you have of them, even if it is old or faded, and tell us how they usually stood or smiled. They are redrawn at the same scale and angle as everyone else, so the finished portrait looks like one moment rather than an old photo dropped into a new one. ### Do the photos need the same background or lighting? No. Line art leaves the background out completely, so a beach photo and a kitchen photo can sit side by side without any trouble. Lighting matters a little more, because shadows show the shape of a face, and soft, even light is ideal. A photo taken in harsh sun or with a strong flash still works, but I may have to guess at some detail. ### Can I see the portrait before it is finished? Yes. You get a draft to check before the final file is sent, and that is the best time to ask for changes. Check the heights first, then look closely at each face. Small adjustments, such as moving a child to the other side or softening a smile, are simple at draft stage and harder once the linework is final.