I can never remember if I am supposed to start these blogs on a Monday or a Sunday. I think a Sunday, but it’s Bank Holiday Monday so it feels like a Sunday so that counts right?
I managed to get quite a bit of work done on Nellie’s dog portrait today, and I am pleased with the progress, despite it being a bank holiday weekend and all the distractions that come with it!
I was going to start prepping a large canvas for the Akita commission I have, but when I took it out of the box I found a hole in it. Gutted, so I have ordered another and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to start prepping it with the special watercolour ground I use. I shall talk about that when I start. I also hope to film a timelapse of me painting this beautiful dog. I am so excited to be doing a large canvas again! I hope I get some pet portraits on these canvasses as the year goes on. They are just too much fun.
In other news I finally managed my 2nd run of week 2 on the C25k app. Wednesday I plan to do run 3 and then I am so excited to be starting week 3! I may even skip the last run and go straight to week 3, I am not sure yet. I can always go back if I find it too tough. It will be the last week I skip a run as they are truly getting harder. Plus I did quite a bit of running on Saturday. I travelled a mile, but I must have run at least half of that distance.
It have been a lovely bank holiday, a bit of art and lots of being out in the countryside, walking the dogs, running and enjoying the weather. in fact the weather has been pretty much perfect. Not too hot and not too cold. Perfect for me and doing all the pursuits I have taken up and love so much. It might be getting really hot towards the end of the week so we shall see how well I can get them done then!
Today has been a lovely day, I spent the morning catching up with a couple of my Nordic Walking buddies on a leisurely walk. Driving over to Ide Hill was a doddle due to the schools being off. I normally have to negotiate two schools on my way over there!
I came back and finished my current dog portraits, Nellie and Molly. I have them scanned in, but my memory stick is the other side of the room so it will add them tomorrow. I need to check my schedule and see what portraits are up next, I can’t remember. A couple have been moved forward at my clients request. I can’t always do this because my schedule can be hectic, but luckily I had a quietish month this month. I think tomorrow will be a sorting out day, getting everything in order type day. I feel like I am not sure what portraits are next and I have some gift voucher requests to get under way amongst other things.
I will be talking more a about another dog portrait, this time my large canvas for Teddy. I started prepping it after my new one arrived propmplty today with no damage this time. My phone is being charged to start filming. I just can’t wait to get started!
I really need to dust off my canon camera, so I can get some decent photos of the dogs. To be honest they aren’t bad for a mobile phone camera especially the portrait ones. Action shots are a little more tricky. Doesn’t help that Maggie moves so fast either. Here are some of the fun photos I captured yesterday on our dog walk.
It’s been a pretty quiet day overall. I have done plenty and made a post office trip with the beautiful Molly’s portrait. I popped out to see my friend Rebecca after walking the pooches and going to the post office. I came back and have an admin sort of afternoon, replying to emails, updating lists, making frame orders for up coming pet portraits etc. So not the most exciting day on the work front but, these things need to be done!
Tomorrow, however is a completely different kettle of fish! I am painting and all being well painting a dog portrait in the Jolly Splashes style on a 30×30 inch canvas. I always feel a little nervous with it going on such a big canvas in case I ruin it. However I am so excited to get opportunity to paint another one after doing Badgers portrait at the beginning of the year. There is a video of me painting Badger’s portrait which I hope to replicate tomorrow with this painting! I really want it to work!uch the wh
Wow today has been manic, I have been busy with my huge Akita painting. They take a long time today. Pretty much the whole day, followed by another day touching up and making amendments and then varnishing. Normally about 4 coats of varnish is enough to protect. I haven’t even included the day it takes to prep the canvas for painting! However I love doing them! I can’t really share the video on my facebook page until I have photographed it and sent it over to my client, which I will do tomorrow when I get back from Nordic Walking.
However that doesn’t mean I can’t share it here with you!
Teddy, Akita dog portrait in watercolours
There I hope you enjoyed that video. Took me a while to work out uploading it, forgot about facebook privacy settings as it is on my personal page for the time being, not my pet portraits page.
Any way more dog portraits and things to follow over the weekend!
I hope everyone has been enjoying the glorious day today, my morning was spent Nordic Walking. We did nearly 6 miles and it was only for the fact my foot was playing up I didn’t do the second walk. I managed to flair up the old injury last night slipping on one of the things the kids left lying around. One of the hazards of being a parent. At least it wasn’t lego. I swear that is the work of the the devil.
I got a photo of Teddy outside, but I am going to try again in the sunlight tomorrow, fingers crossed we get some, or will it all break down with thunderstorms in typical British weather style?!
Yes after uploading it I can see that I definitely need to take a better photo. It really doesn’t do the painting justice! I will get a photo of him hanging on the wall when it has been varnish. My client is pleased, but I am just waiting for the go ahead to do the varnishing. Hopefully tomorrow as the weather should be warm. Keeping my fingers crossed!