Shawn – in progressacrylic on canvas, 9″ x 12″© Xan Blackburn As I mentioned before, Shawn’s portrait has been a long time coming. I made good progress on him today, and will probably work a bit more this afternoon. I started this one by covering the entire canvas with a pale coat of cobalt, … Read More “Shawn’s portrait progressing”
Kyle Broflovski, as seen on his South Park Wikia page As they say on South Park, I’ve learned something today. Okay, not just today. Okay, it’s taken me eight years to learn this (sheesh!) Here’s the thing: I suck at winter. Yeah, pretty much. Every single year, my artistic juices dry up, or freeze … Read More “Is it Spring, yet??”
Jilly BeanRIPacrylic on canvas panel, 8 x 10© Xan Blackburn A dear friend to many, a mascot to the greyhound community, a girl who has taught many foster hounds to respect little dogs, Judy and Mike’s little Jilly Bean passed away on Dec. 18. That afternoon, a mutual friend asked if I’d be willing to … Read More “Jilly Bean Memorial Portrait”
HajimeAcrylic on canvas, 5 x 5© Xan Blackburn Hajime, or Haj, is a chow-husky mix, which you can see in his blue tongue and very direct glance (or, that’s what I see, anyway!) He’s drop-dead gorgeous. He is devoted to his mom. This portrait is a gift from a friend, which is always so cool, … Read More “Portrait Marathon: #11 – Hajime”
RosieAcrylic on Claybord panel, 8 x 10© Xan Blackburn I’ve been reminded (ahem!) that I’ve been calling Rosie’s housemate, Fuzzy, by the wrong name all over the place! Hes not “Fluffy”, he’s “Fuzzy”! Sheesh. However, I’m pretty sure this is Rosie. Rosie’s portrait, at 8 x 10, did take me a bit longer than the … Read More “Portrait Marathon: #10 – Rosie!”
AlfieAcrylic on canvas panel, 8 x 10© Xan Blackburn Alfie, the little love, is the brother to Fluffy, who’s portrait I did awhile ago. This cheerful guy is his people’s boon companion, on trips to the Oregon beaches, or just to the back yard. How can your resist this happy smile? Nah, don’t even bother … Read More “Portrait Marathon: Alfie is #8”
Tip TopAcrylic on Aquabord, 5 x 5© Xan Blackburn Tip Top’s portrait was a special challenge in that I only had one photo to work from, which was small and low-resolution, as well as being fairly dim. Her head is lit from the rear, leaving most of her face in shadow, with just a rim … Read More “Portrait Marathon: #7 – Tip Top!”
Note to future participants: Have your photos ready! Keep an eye on your email if you know your turn is coming up, so I don’t have to skip over you. 😉 Miss StarAcrylic on canvas© Xan Blackburn Star’s portrait took a whole different direction than … any portrait I’ve ever done, I guess! Why is … Read More “Portrait Marathon: #5 Miss Star”
WaliAcrylic on panel (Claybord), 8 x 10© Xan Blackburn Whew! Wali’s portrait, on 8 x 10 panel, took me a little longer than the smaller 5 x 5 canvasses, but I could have been more efficient, I think. Also, working on the very smooth panel requires a different touch, as it shows watery brush strokes … Read More “Portrait Marathon: #4 Wali”
RileyAcrylic on canvas, 5×5© Xan Blackburn Gorgeous whippet-guy, Riley, with those smokey bedroom eyes … I’m in looooove! Riley has a brother who’s portrait I did awhile back, with a sort of flowery background. Riley’s reference photos included one with a fallen leafy background, and I liked that, but didn’t want to get too finicky … Read More “Portrait Marathon: #3 Riley”
