FPM: Kasey is DONE!

Kasey - work in progress
acrylic 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 to completitude.

Kasey - work in progress
acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
© Xan Blackburn, 2011

I like this stage.  It has some of the feel of the illustrations influenced by Japanese woodblocks, done around the turn of the last century, by Rackham and his contemporaries (what a neat site that is!  Glad I stumbled on it!)  Uh, I know I'm putting myself in pretty exalted company there, but I'm referring to technique or approach without presuming to come close to their talent!  This is much more sunny in tone, but if you look at the other artists' work, I think you'll see what I'm referring to.






You can see that I went darker in the background, particularly in the areas to either side of his eyes.  This will help to set his light face off by contrast, and keep that higher contrast area where we want to focus: his eyes.  I layered in a lot more detail in Kasey himself, as well.  You can see that the simpler, almost water-color illustration-look above has gained some depth and realism in this next phase.  Whites of varying warm and cool tints were washed  over much of his face, and even into his neck, helping to smooth and unite the whole.  Individual hairs were also built up, both with shadows and highlights, in the appropriate colors.  You can even see whiskers, which is an almost-done, very nearly final step.  The eyes have sparkle and shine now.  The lip and gums have been modeled more, as has the tongue.  I had almost lost the shadow at the top of the tongue, and had to regain it, as well as developing the mouth in general with shadows and highlights in purply pinks tones, Payne's gray and whites.  

Kasey
acrylic on canvas, 5" x 5"
© Xan Blackburn, 2011

Here's the final look.  His owner asked me to put his name in the corner in a simple script, so there it is.  There are more little hairs picked out and other small details bumped up, though it's hard to see the difference in these two scans.  I glazed in another layer of golden brown in his eyes and bumped the color back up over his eye (on our right), which had gotten a little too washed out.  


I may yet do one more glaze over the background, bringing it yet further into shadow, so Kasey can really pop out at us, but this is basically it.  










I want to take this opportunity to thank you all again for participating.  Because of your contributions, I've already been able to make the full donation portion over to the benefit of Lois' cats at Creature's Comfort feral cat rescue, via WeSnip, who will use the money to alter cats brought to them by Lois.  This is huge, people!  The feral cat issue is familiar to everyone, in the city or countryside.  Their lives can be "nasty, brutish and short", and all the more so if they are fighting, breeding, bearing and raising kittens.  With your help, countless fewer litters will be born, to misery, disease, and worse. Better still, this will allow Lois and her crew to help find more cats homes, and to keep the cats whom no one wants to adopt safe, fed and healthy.  

Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year to you all!

Now, on to Christine's handsome blonde guy, Matt.  

Fall Portrait Marathon: CATS

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

Quick note to clarify: I welcome ANY species for this marathon.  Not just kitties!


Cats!  
Feral cats, to be specific.  We've all seen them, slinking or strutting, hunting, making kittens, eyes glowing on the side of the road, raiding garbage cans or sharing your outdoor cats' meals.  It's a rough life out there.  Cats are consummate survivors, but breeding and braving the elements, finding shelter and running from predators, living with parasites and the shared illnesses wild animals fall prey to all take their toll and make life "nasty, brutish and short"*.  

Spotty Cat
© 2011 Xan Blackburn

This Fall's Portrait Marathon will benefit a feral cat rescue program that I'm very impressed with.  

Sudden Cat
© Xan Blackburn, 2010

Lois at Creatures Comfort has made it her mission to take in all the cats that come to her, to get them vetted, neutered, and if possible adopted.  Others live with her permanently, or are returned to their original territories (a well-supported practice called TNR: Trap, Neuter and Release).  She maintains and loans traps, and is a font of information on how to trap and tame these skittish critters.  I've watched her handle a batch of kittens fresh from a trap and a car ride with such gentle competence it would make your eyes water.  To then hear back that all those kittens got vetted, named, known and adopted makes the trouble and worry of trapping seem very, very worth the effort.  

Four kittens I caught a few months ago,
all now neutered, treated for ringworm, and adopted, thanks to Creatures Comfort

But wait!  What is a Portrait Marathon??

Portrait Marathon. n.  An event during which an artist or artists produce portraits in a concentrated fashion over a set period of time.  Participants submit photos for reference, and agree to purchase the finished portrait at a set price.  Great fun for all!  Fabulous gifts!  (source: me)

You can see posts about earlier marathons by clicking here.  You can see the paintings from the last couple marathons on my website collected in my galleries.  


When is the Portrait Marathon?


Sign-ups begin on Monday, Nov. 7th, at 9:00 am PST, so start collecting your photos!  The first ten emails I receive will have their portraits done!  First come, first served! 

Here are the details:

This marathon will be a series of 10 acrylic paintings on 5" square canvasses, gallery wrapped around 11/2" deep sides for easy, frame-optional display.  Because of the size, these will all be head-shots, to allow for detail and expression.

If you submit a photo (instructions to follow!), you agree to buy the portrait for $80 + shipping.  Payment, by PayPal or check, to be complete before I can start work on your portrait.

I will go in the order photos are submitted, and that payment is completed.

Instructions

1. Choose ONE photo, clear and high-res, of any ONE pet (dog, cat, hamster, ferret ...), attach it to an email.  (tip: If you have a really big photo file, but it's of the entire pet, crop it down to just the head, down to the shoulders.)
2. The email should have your name and your pet's name as the subject.  
3. Send the email to xan@xans-art.com with 
• your name and your pet's name
• any notes about your pet you want me to know, to help me choose a mood for the painting

Example:

subject: Humphrey Blackburn; Wabi  

message: Hi, Xan!
Wabi is a little thing, mischievous and cuddly. Her favorite thing to do is eat dandelions.  Attached is her photograph.  Can you put some dandelions in the painting, maybe?

Thanks,

Rowdy, who became our housecat on the third try, at the
age of about 8.

Humphrey

When I get close to finishing one, I'll send the next person an email with a paypal invoice.  When it's paid, I'll start work on that one, and so on!  If there's a delay in payment, I'll skip over to the next one.  If the delayed invoice is paid, I'll do that one next.

I know lots of you have more than one pet you'd like done.  I want to be fair, so we'll do this as one to a customer.  Heck, some of you have 10 pets!  That could take up the whole marathon right there, eh?  

Okay!  So, that's the deal. You have a week to get ready.  (Me, too!  I've just ordered more canvasses!)  I'll make a post to remind you on Monday, so either check back or subscribe to the blog (or follow me on FB).
_____________________________________________
*Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan, or the matter, forme, and power of a commonwealth, ecclesiasticall and civill, 1651

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!  

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.