Reference request, and Fluffy, Redux

I'm currently seeking permission to use reference photos from owners of 4 specific breeds, in case you know any!  Please get in touch if you have photos of (list changed!):

1. Dogue de Bordeaux
2. Mini/Toy Aussie
3. Xoloitzcuintli
4. Berger Picard

If I use your photo, you have the option - but not the obligation - to buy the artwork when I'm done with it at a discount (as there may be some wear on the pieces from their travels).  I anticipate using them for about a year, which means your dog could travel the US, showing up at NAKC shows representing your breed!  ;)  

As usual, I'm looking for personality shots, rather than show ring.  Clear, high resolution photos can be emailed to me.

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Poor Fluffy!  
I started Fluffy's portrait ages ago:


April 12, 2010 -

On the other hand, I have a little fluffy dog portrait to do that reminds me of my dear departed Hobie.  Aww!  Here's the reference photo (much tweaked from the original).  Isn't he too sweet?

April 20, 2010 - 

On the tables to do now are the portrait of Fluffy (currently mired in the "OMG, I don't remember how to paint!  How'm I supposed to paint all that HAIR??" stage) ....

I didn't tell you about how I messed that poor portrait up enough that I painted over it ... TWICE!  I'm now on version three.  Even though his owner has had to wait all this time, I think the end result will be better for it.  I wish I had total control over this thing, but sometimes I'm just not ready for a certain painting!  I've now got time to work on two that had stalled out like that.  Fluffy's, because his wonderful fur was defeating me, will now be better for my having worked on the silken windhounds for the last few weeks.  (The other one, we'll get to in turn.)  

Work in Progress: Fluffy
8"x 10" acrylic on gessoed panel
©Xan Blackburn, 2011

I prepared several boards on Sunday with toned gesso.  Four are in anticipation of doing some drawing/paintings (kind of like I did for Hunter), and one was for Fluffy.  (Working with the chalky-thick blendable tones of gesso made me want to paint with gouache again.  I might have to push some gouache into something soon!)  I thought I might take a similar approach to Fluffy's portrait, but that's not what's happening.  Here's where we are this morning. 

 I started to sketch, but realized quickly that I needed to mostly define his fur as light, not dark (pencil), so switched to paint.  This is all still super rough and funky, but the shapes are there, I know where things are.  Now I can concentrate on getting that fur texture.  

Notice that some areas are warmer -towards the outer edges - and some are cooler - in towards his face. I want to set him off from the cool background with warmer shadows, and give him the feel of a warm, living critter, and also create a frame for his sweet little face.  It will be interesting to see this vague cloud refine into recognizable Fluffy!


The other boards I prepped will be for marketing purposes, to show my ability to represent other breeds.    That's what the reference request is all about.  The plan is, they'll be showing up at NAKC events.  H and I have been working on packable easel plans for these, and I think I've come up with something brilliant.  Let's see if H and I can make it manifest in the real world!  

Busy Day!

Fluffy, Work in progress. 8" x 10" acrylic on panel. ©Xan Blackburn 2011

Fluffy's portrait is coming along nicely.  As usual, I was a little afraid of messing it up.  Again.  But just pushed on forward.

The background is looking intriguingly like leather, somehow.  I didn't mean it to, exactly, but I like it.  Fluffy is looking less amorphous, though he does need to stay at least a little amorphous!  Glazing in his soft swirly hair is just the perfect way to control how fuzzy he stays, especially at the edges. 

There's a lot of raw umber and raw sienna, with a bit of white, worked into that background, as well as glazed into the fur.  The play of the warm and cool tones keeps him from becoming a fuzzy ice-sculpture, and unites him with his background.  The white fur would reflect some of whatever color was around him, besides just letting it show through at the frilly edges.  I'm really enjoying his flyaway twists of fur!

This is how we left him last time you saw him. 

Fluffy, earlier. ©Xan Blackburn 2011

Shows up a bit more now, eh?  I can see finishing this up in the next couple days.  I'm pretty sure his owner will be happy to finally have his portrait!


I've been asking for reference photos for my demo portraits, and have received some great ones!  So far, I've got a Berger Picard, a Cardigan Welsh Corgi, and a Miniature Aussie.  I just need one more.  I'd love to do a smooth dog, like a Xolo.  But I'm open to anything on the ICKC breed list, at this point. 

Little NEWS FLASH:
You can now sign up to get my Xan's Art Friends Newsletter, and/or to be on the Commission Alert List by following This Linky.  Some of you are probably already on my list, in which case you'll still be signed up.  But if you're not, and want to get the highlights, it's a good way not to miss the most important stuff (like, sign-ups for Portrait Marathons, upcoming events that might bring me to your area, stuff like that).  I'm trying to get more business-like around here!  The link will stay in my sidebar, up at the top, and in a few places on my website, too.  I have a newsletter all set to go, but I'll give you a day or two to sign up first.

Another Little NEWS FLASH:
Since I've started taking commissions again, I've updated my website with the info, including my price list.  So you can start planning your gift list for the year.  ;)

That's been my day!  Does that seem like a lot or a little?  You wouldn't believe how long it took me to set up my newsletter thingamabob! 

Decisions! Decisions!

I don't even know what project to take up!

Niccolo & MaeBella
Work in progress.  Acrylic on panel. 16" x 20"
©Xan Blackburn 2011

I've got two paintings currently in process; Fluffy, and Niccolo and MaeBella (yikes! that's colorful!)

I got stalled out on N&M two whole years ago, when I ran out of technique, and my muse took a hike.  Now, I can see not only how I got stuck, but how to proceed.  Thank goodness!!

Fluffy is moving along.  I'll show you more of him shortly.

I have a marketing deal in the works with a dog registry, but I'm not sure how much effort to put into it as they seem to be in flux, and communications are spotty.  It could mean an opening into a market I might not otherwise show up in, or ... not.  I'm still inclined to follow up on it, though.  That's why I was asking for reference images in an earlier post.  By the way, I still need references!  I'm open to any breed currently in the ICKC list, since that's the market I'm aiming at.  My idea is to do four 8" x 10" sample portraits to be carried around to the various events with my biz cards, etc., in return for which I'll take a discount on a portrait of this year's big winner to be given as the prize for winning.  So, that's four paintings I need to do just for that.  Soonish, if you please!

Then there's Dewey coming up.  Greyhounds Reach the Beach, in Dewey Beach, Delaware, has been a major focal point for the last several years, where I've sold my art in various forms.  This year, it's looking like I'll be bringing precisely not a single thing.  Unless, you know, I suddenly manage to make a bunch of art for that!  

ScrapCat: Coco
Work in progress.  Gouache on matboard.
©Xan Blackburn, 2011

Oh, and let's not forget my painting of Coco, which I didn't quite finish while at SnipFest.  I want to get that done, and get it sold, for the benefit to WeSnip!    Here's a detail shot of where I am with her as of today.

ScrapCat: Coco
Work in progress. Gouache on matboard
©Xan Blackburn, 2011

The event itself was LOTS of fun.  I didn't sell a whole lot, but I didn't really expect to, since my stuff is so specific, and there aren't a whole lot of greyhound owners just wandering around Birch Bay looking for some holiday cards!  Just the one gentleman, who did buy a print and some cards.  (Hopefully, his greyhound Becky will come visit my greys soon.)  I did draw a lot of interest from painting on the spot,
and talked to a lot of people about various types of commissions, so we'll see what comes out in the long run.  In the mean time, I got to chat with my neighbors, and listen to some great music from the stage about 50' away (my pet sitter performed!  Go Jenni!  :D)  Mostly, I wanted to show my support for WeSnip.

SnipFest, view from my booth

SnipFest, view from inside my booth over my
painting table

Well, I do have Fluffy on the table, with paint on the pallet, so I guess that's what I'm doing!  

Thanks to those of you who've already signed up for my "Commission Alert List".  If you want to know more about that, look to the right sidebar.  I know I have to get my price list up.  It's on my project list!  

Moving On

First of all, because it's the biggest thing in my life right now, and because my life and my art really aren't easy to separate, I have to say that Wabi, my sweet, curly, snake-neck, goat-head monkey-girl, my little greyhound chimera is gone.  I could (and will, but not here) write volumes about that little girl-dog.  Suffice it to say that my heart is broken, but that her lesson is to live life, and enjoy it despite obstacles.  Wherever you see a dandelion (a favorite obsession of hers), I hope you see a bit of sun, a treat, and that it makes you smile. 

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Now, moving on.

Fluffy
Acrylic on gessoed panel.  8" x 10"
©Xan Blackburn 2011

Fluffy is finally done!  Assuming I stop messing with it, this is the final look.  Okay, actually I fiddled with it a bit more after this scan, but you might not be able to tell the difference if I re-scanned it! 

It may not look too different from the last time I showed it to you, but I assure you, there are hours more fiddling in it since then!

One thing you might be able to see, if you go back and forth, is that I took the cooler blueish tones way over into a burnt umber zone.  It was bothering me earlier that he was starting to look sort of grubby.  I had to step back, sort of wash my eyes out a bit, and come back to the photos with freshened perceptions to see that the tone of his fur is truly much warmer than I had made it, and that's what I'd been fighting with, resulting in a confused, dirty sort of look.  I was able to resolve that by giving in to the warm tones, even though I was afraid he'd just blend into his warm background.  The cooler shadows underneath helped prevent that, however.  So, here comes Fluffy!

Kris, his owner, is ill right now.  I hope this little painting of her adorable pup can give her some pleasure, and that she'll be well soon.

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And moving on further, I've begun real work on the 4 breed demonstration portraits I mentioned earlier.  I'm going to keep these to a similar look so they work well together on a shared board-frame-thing my husband and I have cooked up to display them at shows.  They are on gessoed panel (actually Claybord, which is not gessoed, but coated with a very fine white clay), on which I've laid down a muted warm background on, mixing Naples yellow, burnt umber, ultramarine blue and gesso (so much for the clay surface!)  This gives me a matte, slightly toothy surface which I've been enjoying in my last few pieces.  

Daddy
Work in progress.  Acrylic on Claybord.  8" x 10"
©Xan Blackburn 2011

First up is Daddy, a Birger Picard.  I'd love to meet one of these dogs!  They look like a neat breed, and I love the rough, fuzzy face!  Here's where I am as of right now.  

The drawing has been transferred onto the prepared panel, and I've begun to lay in the underpainting in a mix of raw umber and Prussian blue hue.  You can see I've also already washed in a little pink to the tongue and ear.  I had mostly wanted to get the eye going, which meant layering up red and golden yellow, and red goes a loo-ooong way, I'm super cheap and hate to waste paint, so I wanted to use up the tiny bit I squeezed out.  

Daddy, reference photo

  My reference photo is not very good, sadly, but I've been able to cross-reference with some others to give me a sense of the actual texture of the fur.  I'm going to TRY to get all four of these done in time to scan the finished paintings, design some postcards and/or business cards, get them printed, and still take them all to California in a week and a half!  Wish me luck.  I've got to get a wiggle on!

   

Portrait Marathon: #10 - Rosie!

Rosie
Acrylic 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 smaller 5x5s I've also been doing.  You'll also notice that I've included the rest of her body.  She's just so ... fluffy ... It was hard to cut out just her head!  I figured, heck, I've got the room, and it will go better with the painting I did of FUZZY (ahem) earlier, so there ya go.  It's art: I can do what I want!  :D

Tomorrow, we move on to Joan's borzoi, Wookie!  Yeay!

Rosie - in progress
© Xan Blackburn

Portrait Marathon: Alfie is #8

Alfie
Acrylic 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 trying.

Next, we're on to Kate's Ruger, who is the opposite of Alfie, being tall, narrow, and very non-fluffy!

Alfie in progress
© Xan Blackburn

Nothing to see here, folks! Move along...

In studio news, I'm still feathering my nest while gestating this new work.  

My studio was pretty tightly packed without a lot of flat surfaces to work on, which I need to lay out and work on these big, composite paintings I'm imagining.  So, I went on Craigslist and found some banquet tables for $10 each.  H and I drove through the rolling farmland now bright green and dark mud, backed by jagged white and charcoal mountains, to get them on Sunday.  We threaded our way through a retired dairy barn (what a maze!) to find the tables stacked against worn wooden milking stanchions, streaked with bird poop.  Treasure!  We loaded a 6' and a 5' into the truck, chatting with the owner, petting her little terrier, and then wound our way on home.  The owner used to raise and show wolfhounds (sighthounds like greyhounds, but bigger, with rough long coats), but said she had to quit.  They only live for about 5 years (!!!) and it was just too hard getting attached and losing them so quickly over and over.  I had no idea they were so short-lived.  How sad!  

Anyhow, I got the tables cleaned up, and fitted into my studio, where I now have plenty of flat surfaces!  (I hope!)

  weird panoramic pic of my studio proving yet again what a bad photographer I am, but giving you some idea of how efficiently I am able to cram all this stuff in here, with room for dogs too!  See my new tables?  :D

The process of sorting and clearing out space for the tables was practically anthropological.  I had 5 file boxes of old work and collected references images to go through, had to decide what to do with various largish tools I haven't used in years (a lightbox and an opaque projector -- their functions mostly replaced by computer, printer and scanner now), and had to tear myself loose from a few cubic yards of packaging material I've been hoarding as if I were a busy manufacturing plant poised to move lots of widgets out at any moment!  I kept getting stalled out in the sorting process by historical finds half forgotten.  Drawings by my nieces when they were kids as well as some by our grandkids, family photos (never quick work!), work I'd done over the years (comic book coloring, signs, pet portraits, murals, a stool painted to match someone's kitchen tilework, two switchplates painted to match someone's decor, logo designs, proposed stuff that never happened, tons of product design stuff, some illustrations, half-finished paintings I'd done just for myself ...), a notebook I'd kept for a few years describing the jobs I was doing, payment details, and notes I'd taken about how aspects could be improved in future jobs ....  Pretty interesting stuff.  To me!  Good thing I have no kids of my own to saddle this stuff with when I die.  It'll all just get tipped into a dumpster without ceremony, I hope (except for some of the photos).  

On the tables to do now are the portrait of Fluffy (currently mired in the "OMG, I don't remember how to paint!  How'm I supposed to paint all that HAIR??" stage), a logo for a doula (who I just realized is very much like my sister PJ esthetically -- that will help!), designing this year's holiday cards (flailing quietly in the "but, it's finally SPRING; I don't want to think about WINTER!" phase), and big display graphics for a trade show H is doing in June or July in D.C., which I still need specs for.  

As I was cleaning up the tables, and moving them into my own space, I was reflecting on the layers of life they already have on them.  No, I don't mean just the bird poop and spider flotsam!  There are worn areas that suggest repeated patterns of use in certain areas, lots of tape residue, scratches, scuffs and divots.  I'll add my own layers of use; splatters of gesso, paint and varnish, the occasional cut from a mis-handled knife, more tape, random pen marks no doubt.  

I like the feeling of used stuff.  It feels good, for some reason I can't quite explain, to inherit the ... hm ... almost spiritual residue of other lives, to continue the useful life of an object, and add my own residue to it, maybe to send it on to yet another life after I'm done with it.  It's a connection, tenuous but tangible, between my own personal universe and one other, existing otherwise invisibly to me, now gone off on its own tangent elsewhere.  I like the reminders of all the complexity we only see such small bits of at a time.  I was telling H that we're like little ants, crawling around on an infinitely large crumpled piece of paper, only aware of this bit of fold, then that, maybe running into a few other ants just as isolated from a view of the whole, while gazillions of other ants live their entire lives, full of experiences, invisibly on the other folds, on the other side, separated by mere molecules perhaps.  

Maybe I just need to get out more.  Hm?

SnipFest: Quick! Make some art!

SnipFest is this weekend, at which I am vending, and I had hoped to be able to bring at least a couple of new things to offer.  I set Fluffy aside, and started going through my photos of my cats for inspiration.  All 3 of my aging cats are rescues.  I'm not sure of Meep's origin, but I had seen a few cats loose in our area that look like him after I adopted him from the local Humane Society.  Coco, I was told, was one of a bucket full of kittens found on the side of the road.  Rowdy was a feral who latched onto me after he'd been neutered, had his ear clipped, and then been released back to the area he was caught - a practice I learned of when I took him in to see the vet the first time.

 I had a little photo shoot with them.  Rowdy was happy to assist.

Rowdy climbing up my body for a snuggle.
If this had sound, you could hear his Very Loud Purr.

I did get a couple good ones of him, but I'm starting with one I got of Coco (the little tabby and white cat you can see behind Rowdy).  Meepy decided not to interrupt his nap.

I decided to do some "Scrap Cats":  painting and/or drawing my leftover scrap cats on leftover scraps of mat board.  (I'll donate 50% of the selling price to WeSnip, in honor of the work they do with feral cats, and cats from low-income families.)  I chose my scraps and my references, and broke out my old faithful gouache paints.

I haven't used gouache in awhile, and I'm remembering why I love them so much, particularly for pet portraits!  They are very forgiving, endlessly re-workable and give incredible detail.  They are opaque watercolors, similar to the tempera paint used by the Wyeths, or that you used in kindergarten.  They dry to a matte finish, with intense pigments, and can be used on darker surfaces because they are opaque.  Painting on mat board is lots of fun.  Here's where I am with Coco so far.

Scrap Cat: Coco
Work in progress. Gouache on matboard.
7" x 14.5"
©Xan Blackburn, 2011

This only shows the top half or so, but there's not much to see below that yet, and I wanted to let you see how the eyes are shaping up in decent detail.  Gouache is kind of fun to use sort of like a paint-by-numbers, to start with, blocking in the major color zones, then start working in detail and gradations by just painting onto and into the blocked colors, which will mix with the new colors if you want, or just sit underneath while you stroke in dryer opaque details on top.  It's absolutely great for letting you show how all the different colors in each hair sit next to each other, and add up to an overall color, because you can actually PAINT each different hair in each of its several colors!  If you want, that is.  

Anyway, lots still to do, and now I don't expect to get any further than this one by the time I have to call it quits tonight, and get the car packed up.  Supposed to be setting up at 7 am tomorrow morning!  I'll get a final scan of it, at least so I can show you how it ends up.

Portrait Marathon: Grover, stage 3

Grover is looking very brooding, yet colorful, in his bright blue universe!

The fluffy texture of the stuffy is developing nicely (whew!), and Grover's color areas are now laid in.  There are washes of warm pink in his face and body where his warm skin tones just show through his pale, fine greyhound fur.  His eyes are very dark, so I'll have to give them some highlights for depth and life.  I feel like this is still going in the right direction.

So, onward!

Portrait Marathon: #9 - Ruger!

Ruger
Acrylic on canvas, 5 x 5
© Xan Blackburn

Handsome Ruger!  His mom sent me a few pictures, and a description, as usual.  She described a protector, her "Sheriff", a "relaxed but aware" presence, always ready to lie down.
But the pictures she sent had me laughing out loud.  He looked to me like he had a goofy side, and, despite the more dignified description, his mom was choosing that goofy side to hold his memory.

I give you, Ruger.

Tomorrow, we have another bichon, the housemate to Fluffy; Rosie!

Ruger - in progress
© Xan Blackburn

FPM #10: Cosmo progresses

Fall Portrait Marathon, Cosmo 

I'm going to try to remember to take more scans along the way for Cosmo's portrait, and write a bit about each stage as I go.

Cosmo - work in progress
5" x 5" acrylic on canvas
©Xan Blackburn 2012

So, with the washy start from our last look as a starting place, most of the darkest darks at least indicated, it's time to really start filling in.  As always in this portrait, the texture of the fur is going to be important at each step, though the sharpest detail will be reserved for his handsome face, to keep our attention there.

Cosmo: reference photo

My philosophy there is to avoid getting stuck in a technical distraction, where the viewer is more involved in the technique than the overall effect; Cosmo himself.  When we look at something naturally, we focus our own sharpest attention right in the center of our field of vision, with the edges getting progressively soft.  So, to take a photo, which is indiscriminate in its focus across a whole depth of field, and re-imagine it as a painting in a sense is to translate it to a more natural way of seeing, while giving the artist control over what will become the focal points, and therefore the emotional impact, of the painting.

I would love to hear from you if that kind of discussion is enlightening about my choices, or just a lot of bla-bla-bla that you sort of skim over.  It truly is the stuff going on in my head, at least at an unconscious level.  Bringing it up in words to tell someone sort of explains it to me at the same time!

Cosmo - work in progress
5" x 5" acrylic on canvas
©Xan Blackburn 2012 

Cosmo - work in progress - detail
5" x 5" acrylic on canvas
©Xan Blackburn 2012 

Anyhow, moving on to the next stage, I started with his eyes, darkening the pupils, and defining his eyeliner.  Then, I let my attention sort of wander, picking out areas that needed more generally dark tone, and then more picky hair texture.  You can see in the detail below how the balance is shaping up, in terms of soft focus/harder focus.  I've kept the texture sort of fluffy in the edge of the cat bed, and intend to keep it in soft focus, with the exception of a suggestion of its carpet-y texture at the edge nearest his face.

At this stage, the shape of Cosmo, his roundness, is starting to be more evident.  I'm pleased so far.

Now, back to it.

FPM Painting #4: Spencer is Done!

Spencer
Acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
© Xan Blackburn 2011

Fall Portrait Marathon, Painting #4: Spencer


I 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 this in the usual pattern of layers of color and detail, highlights and shadow, color washes and then some softening, to bring back that feeling of kitty fluffy fur.

Spencer - work in progress
© Xan Blackburn 2011

Let's see it in stages.  When we saw him last post, this is where we left him.  Blonde guy with lipstick.  

Spencer - work in progress
Acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
© Xan Blackburn 2011

The next thing I wanted to do was to layer in more color in to his colored areas, and really deepen the darks in the stripes.  I used both raw umber and Payne's gray to deepen the stripes and other darkest details, and just Payne's gray to continue to wash in more general shading, even in the white fur, and in the background. I wanted a sense of a soft warm light coming across the corner of the couch to fall on his face, and just glance off his outstretched paw.  Cat fur is so soft that it carries light through it in an almost fog-like way, creating softer shadows than you'd find on, say, a chair or a greyhound.  Shadows filled with soft light.  The area to our right of his muzzle is a good example of this.  I also corrected the shape of the ear on the left a bit, and started shading the background.

Spencer - work in progress
Acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
© Xan Blackburn 2011

This stage may only look subtly different, but the difference between "okay" and "That's my boy!" is often apparently minor.  I've started refining the couch fabric a bit here, but it's still fairly crude.  I've added in some higher whites on the areas I want the light to play on most; the triangular zone of his face, a touch on his shoulder, a haze on his foreleg.  In glazing in some white on his nose, I've softened it to more of a real nose than a rough red patch.  I've started adding in tiny white details, like some particular swatches of white fur under his eye on the left, and above it, as well.  I've been working on the tone of the colored fur areas, where in some places the background tone is deeper or lighter, with various glazes of raw sienna and raw umber.  Might have been some Naples in there.  

After that, I moved in with glazes of white mixed with a touch of Naples yellow, to warm up that critical triangle, and continued with detailing overall.  Below is a detail shot of Spencer's face in the finished painting, giving some idea of the overall look of the layering and detailing.  Cute little wink, Spencer!

Spencer - Detail
Acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
© Xan Blackburn 2011

I hope this little painting gives Lisa joy in the years to come.  It was a joy to spend a few days lost in his gentle spirit.

The next portrait in the marathon is another sleepy couch potato.  This one is a sweet-faced black greyhound girl, and the apple of her dog-mom's eye, Faye Oops.  Gotta love that name!

On the other hand ...

The Gessobord I've been waiting for arrived today.  *sigh*  Damaged.  All four pieces.  That stuff isn't cheap, and now I have to wait some more to get it replaced, figure out what kind of claim response I'm going to get, etc.. 

On the other hand, Alisha called yesterday, so we had a chance to brainstorm holiday card ideas, which I'd been missing!  Yeay!

On the other hand, I did end up with droopy red bruises around both eyes from my encounter with Pogo on Friday.  Hmf.

On the other hand, I look about 5 years younger from the swelling puffing out my frown lines!  Yeay!

On the other hand, I have a little fluffy dog portrait to do that reminds me of my dear departed Hobie.  Aww!  Here's the reference photo (much tweaked from the original).  Isn't he too sweet?

On the other hand ... 

Nah.  I've got nothin'.  All's good! 

Hope you all are having a wonderful Monday!