FPM: Matt is Done!

Matt5″ x 5″, Acrylic on canvas©Xan Blackburn 2012  Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #7: Matt  Matt’s painting finished up in one sustained burst, and I didn’t get any more progress pics for you.  Sorry about that!   We left off here.  One of the first things I did when I picked my brushes back up was …

Remember that “Mystery Portrait”?

I realized today that I never did give you the whole picture of this portrait from last November.  I gave lots of teasers over several posts because it was meant to be a surprise present, so I couldn’t give it away. Well, the present was given and received, so I’m free to share it with …

FPM: I’m baa-aack! Meet Matt

Matt – reference photo  Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #7: Matt  This is Matt.  Those bedroom eyes with their serious gaze are inspiring feelings of warmth, and a distinct desire to give him cookies! His owner, Christine, got in on an earlier marathon, giving me the chance to paint her boy Hamilton in a field of …

FPM: Kasey is DONE!

Kasey – work in progressacrylic on canvas, 5″ x 5″© Xan Blackburn, 2011  Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #6: Kasey The Holiday Hiatus, if I may so name it retroactively, has passed, and work has resumed.  Kasey, whom we last saw smiling brightly as you see him on the right, has moved through the last few stages …

FPM Painting #6: Kasey, color-y!

Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #6: Kasey Kasey – work in progressacrylic on canvas, 5″ x 5″© Xan Blackburn, 2011 Tightened up some of the darks, corrected a little around the nose-ball, and did some more of the subtle shading on his neck and the shadowed side of his face.  Then I dove in with some …

FPM Painting #6: Kasey

Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #6: Kasey Okay, “Fall Portrait Marathon” has been turning into “Winter Portrait Marathon”, but why confuse things by changing the name officially, hm?  My latest big adventure has taken up a lot of my time recently, but hopefully things are more in a groove now.  I got back to my painting …

FPM: Faye Oops Portrait Completed!

Faye Oops portrait catching some side-light© Xan Blackburn 2011 Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #5: Faye Oops Faye Oops left her family broken-hearted last week.  While her passing was gentle, with her loved ones present, it is never easy to lose the ones we love. Even though so much of my work is to give a …

FPM Painting #5: Faye Oops!

Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #5: Faye Oops Okay, not exactly “legal” to take a break during a marathon, but, there was Thanksgiving, and I had a sick dog (now much better, and bugging me to play with him), and then there was a lot of communications going on about some rescue dogs coming from Seoul, …

FPM Painting #4: Spencer is Done!

SpencerAcrylic on canvas, 5″ x 5″© Xan Blackburn 2011 Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #4: SpencerI finished Spencer’s portrait the evening before Thanksgiving, but, well, you know, I got busy and didn’t post about it right away.  But, hey, you were busy too, right? Sleepy boy Spencer evolved from looking like a blonde guy with lipstick to …

FPM Painting #4: Spencer gets started

Spencer-Reference photo Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #4: Spencer Lisa’s kitty, Spencer, in his sleepy pose, is pretty inviting, eh?  Don’t you just want to snuggle your face into that soft warm fur?  Mmm. Spencer was a Special Cat.  Lisa’s friend Jan told me some of his story. The boy loved ice cream and popcorn, and …