Aiva's Story
A Tuesday Testimonial, spotlighting the story behind this portrait of the mischievous Aiva!
Spotlighting Aiva's portrait for today's Tuesday Testimonial!
Aiva is a kitty full of character and mischief with plenty of appetite for adventure and will pinch your pineapple off a summer mojito given the chance!
Would highly recommend you follow her entertaining antics, click here to have a look: https://www.instagram.com/not_your_typical_persian/
For more info about how my commission service works click the button below.
Bookings for August are now open! Happy Tuesday hopping!
Introducing Jude, The Sphynx Cat
Introducing my finished portrait of Jude, the conclusion to all my knitting in paint! Read the full story and watch a short time-lapse showing this portrait from loose line sketch to finished painting.
The conclusions of last week’s painted knitting!
Presenting my finished commissioned portrait of the amazing Sphynx cat Jude, dressed in a modified woolly sock and clutching a crocheted Chewbacca.
This was my first encounter with a sphynx cat and painting her was extraordinary . Various references crossed my mind: cat, little wise old lady, ET.
Certainly not conventional, there was something both familiar and other worldly about her, add to which a very expressive, comical sense of character.
I've included a mini time-lapse below of my journey using digital oil brush and paint to build the portrait up from a rough line sketch to the finished painting.
I am now taking commission bookings for 2022, so feel free to get in touch or click the button below to explore my commission service.
Hug Your Cat Day
In celebration of National Hug Your Cat Day, I bring you a recent digital painting I made of the wonderful Fluff. Read on to discover her full story along with a time-lapse of this painting in progress.
Fluff, Digital painting
In celebration of National Hug Your Cat Day, I am returning to my Furry Friends Friday theme with a digital painting, recently completed of a special feline called Fluff.
She also goes by the name of Lulu and is very much a cat, owned by none but a friend to all.
The story goes that she was abandoned by her original owner, but being the survivor she is, befriended a host of neighbours and now has her pick of homes and hugs!
Kenny, the Mini Black Panther
Today I tell you about Kenny, the cat with Black Panther aspirations. Read on for the full story, along with a timelapse of how this digital painting progressed.
The famous South park line of ‘who killed Kenny?’ is flipped on it’s head by today’s furry friend, who is affectionately known as ‘Killer Ken’.
Described by his owners as a ‘real-life black Panther’ Kenny is a shrewd, calm and graceful hunter who takes his food very seriously. Moles, mice, squirrels and birds beware, even the neighbour’s dog’s food isn’t safe from Kenny’s grasp.
He is particular in his affections, not quick to show his soft side, nor one for being too fussed over or too ignored. In moments of real need however he will be the first by your side, to gently nose, cuddle and cheer you up. The yellow background is a nod to his owner’s comment ‘he is my little sunflower’, there to brighten and comfort.
This digital painting was another wonderful dive into the multi coloured, tonal party that is the fur of a black cat. I was working from a brilliant image which really caught all the nuances. I like how this plays out in the painting, with a very focused Kenny on the one hand and a dancing, moving mass of fur on the other.
As usual you can see the full timelapse in the video below.
As you are probably aware, I will officially be launching my commission service in May, but feel free to get in touch with any commission related Qs from now on in.
The Cat with Big Names
Today’s digital painting is celebrating a rather stocky moggie cat with some big namesakes to boast of.
Read all about his story and watch a timelapse of how this painting evolved.
Today we have another moggie cat, quite a stocky fella, with some great namesakes to boast. His official title is Samwell Tarly (I will be featuring another Game of Thrones associate of his in the weeks to come!) He is also affectionately known as BB8, being a bit on the round side.
This was such a super pose to paint, the light and angle where full of impact and really got me studying the intricate shifts of colours and textures in his face. I kept on thinking of him as a mini-Tiger, and he is apparently an enthusiastic hunter of mice. One wonders if he has just spotted one here.
For all this, he is allegedly not the brightest button in the box, but has, outside of predatory pursuits, a sweet and relaxed temperament.
Watch the video below to see how this painting evolved.
In the leadup to officially launching my commission service I also wanted to take this opportunity to ask what questions you might have about commissioning a digital artwork, so do let me know in the comments below.
Aiva The Adventurer
Today I am introducing you to a rather unusual Persian cat called Aiva. Learn more about her antics and watch a timelapse showing how this digital painting evolved.
Let me introduce you to a mischievous adventurer called Aiva, also affectionately known as ‘McGee’ and ‘Tinker’.
She is not your conventional indoor-loving, docile Persian cat, but rather an avid explorer of the outside, with a particular penchant for human foods -she will pinch your caramelised pineapple off a summer Mojito, as owner Ellie can testify.
Naughty and endearing, you can follow all her antics on Instagram @not_your_typical_perisan
What lovable quirks can you share about your furry friend? do let me know in the comments below.
See how this digital painting evolved in the timelapse below.
Toby the Moggie Cat
This week’s #furryfriendsfriday is all about Toby a very clever moggie. Read all about his story and watch an extended time-lapse of how this digital painting of him evolved.
This week’s furry friend digital painting is of a clever moggie called Toby. As a kitten, Toby’s owners sensibly gave him a collar with a bell to keep tabs on him in the early days after his various jabs. Quick to cotton on to the implications, Toby hid himself away for an entire day under a piano cover, still as a statue so as not to alert anyone to his whereabouts. When his owners found him, they decided to relent and gave him free reign, senza collar, until he was old enough to accept the responsibility which, as you can see here, he has duly done. Now at least, the mice he chases get fair warning!
He has also taken on the role of personal trainer to owner Irene who gets a Toby shaped weight sat on her stomach when exercising. I can almost picture him, sitting there, overseeing proceeding with due task master authority!
The time-lapse below takes you through my working process for this digital painting. What I loved about studying Toby was how many colours I discovered in his rich black coat and how full of rhythm is the baffling texture of fur!
If you were to describe, in one word, the character trait that best sums up the furry friend in your life, what would it be? Let me know in the comments below.
Kitty's Story
This week is all about our furry friends and my new initiative to share with you digital paintings dedicated to these lovable creatures in the hope they may help raise the spirits during these difficult times. Today I talk about a cat called Kitty and share with you her story along with a time-lapse of my painting of her in development. Hope you enjoy!
Sunday Greetings to you all!
They say looking at pictures of animals does something good to our brains so I thought I'd start dedicating every other week to a digital painting of our furry friends in the hope it might lift the spirits during these difficult times!
I will be launching these paintings on my Instagram feed on Fridays as part of #furryfriendsfriday, so if you can’t wait to read about it here then head over to @susienathanson.
This week is dedicated to Kitty the cat, although Kitty is not her real name. Have a watch of my painting time-lapse below to hear the rather unusual story of how she entered into our lives.
I'm on the hunt for more lovely creatures with a story to tell, so if you have a special furry friend you would like me to paint and feature on these posts, then do let me know!
You'd also be helping me build a new portfolio of animals for a commission service I will be launching this year, so all hello’s welcome and who knows the next animal I post, could be one of yours!