A Burn's Night Salute
This was the little Burn’s night salute I did last Monday, putting a street performer twist on the theme! In this post I show you how this digital painting was made.
Couldn't resist this little Burn's night Salute!
I didn't have much time to throw this one together and found it interesting to see a looser digital brush stroke emerge.
It almost suited the subject - another Edinburgh festival street encounter, which got me smiling. Hopefully he sprinkles a bit of Scottish humour on your day.
Below is the a time-lapse showing you how I painted him. I apply the same approach I take in oil on canvas painting, just replacing physical brush and paint for the digital equivalent.
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.
More Mime Antics
Today I’m sharing another mime inspired piece, this time a digital painting which I’ve been working on recently.
It features the dynamic and mesmerizing duo otherwise known as Compagnia Baccala (aka Simone Fassari and Camilla Pessifrom) who I met along the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival some years ago.
I had seen their show PssPss which combined childlike wonder and raw feeling, with highly skilled acrobatics and storytelling ingenuity. Their quality of mime paid tribute to the legends of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, whilst bringing something entirely their own to the table.
Do check out their website for more details. I particularly recommend watching the short video below where you can see them in action!
These mime acts completely captivate me, perhaps because of their very silence and how they offer an invitation to the imagination to come and play. They have the power to take you on a journey which touches something deeply human.
Your thoughts…
I will soon be printing some of my digital paintings as high-quality art prints which can be framed and hung on a wall. I am therefore curious to know which subjects you could visualise enjoying in your home.
Could this duo, or perhaps one of your favourite performers, be something that could warm up a wall and get you smiling?
Do let me know in the comments below!
Rupert the English Pointer
Rupert is today’s #furryfriendsfriday star! Read on to hear his story and watch a time-lapse of this painting’s from start to finish.
It’s #furryfriendsfriday
and I’d like to introduce you to a very handsome English pointer called Rupert.
He is an avid runner with a sensitive, loving soul. He’s addicted to chasing pheasant and has a tendency to help himself to whatever is on the kitchen counter. An excitable character led on many an adventure by his nose!
Thank you to my friend Katherine for introducing us! This digital painting was the result of an 8 hour meditation on his beautiful face. I was particularly mesmerized by his amber eyes which seem themselves to be entranced by something, perhaps he has just spotted a pheasant out of the window!
Have a look at the time-lapse below which condenses and edits down 8 hours into under 10 minutes, showing you, in sped up form, my digital painting process.
In case you missed my introduction to #furryfriendsfridays here is a quick recap!
Every 1-2 weeks I will be making a digital painting of a furry friend to feature here and on Facebook and Instagram. Animals are such amazing creatures to paint and my hope is that my efforts will help raise spirits during these difficult times whilst celebrating some wonderful characters!
Do you have any furry friends that might like to be featured? If so, do get in touch !
A Mime Inspired Painting
Today, in honour of the London International Mime Festival, I am talking about a mime inspired painting I did a few years ago. I will also be sharing details about how you can access more information about the Mime Festival.
This week, in honour of the London International Mime Festival, I thought I’d do a little spotlight on one of my mime inspired paintings:
Dreams of Tomorrow and Yesterday, oil on canvas, 100 x 161 cm
In the video below I share the thoughts and the ideas behind the painting. If you have any further questions about this piece then do let me know.
The Mime Festival has already kicked off so check out their website for more details about what’s on offer.
A lot more content will be made available from tomorrow (18th January) onwards so don’t miss out!
Wishing you all a lovely rest of day!
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!
New Year Greetings
Today I am bidding farewell to 2020, Colombian style, with a new digital painting. I am also saying a big hello to 2021 and celebrating some inspiring teachers who have helped me take a stronger step forward into the new year!
THE world traveller, digital painting
GOODBYE TO 2020
The above was my little toy inspired farewell to 2020, which gives a nod to the Colombian new year tradition where you take an empty suitcase around the block at midnight to ensure the following year is one filled with travel!
Whether it is travel in the more literal sense or something altogether more abstract, I hope 2021 is a year that takes us all on some joyful adventures!
THE WEIGHTLIFTER, oil on canvas board, 30 X 30 CM
HELLO 2021
In greetings to 2021, I wanted to celebrate the idea of strength. To introduce the theme I give you my oil on canvas painting of The Weightlifter or as I like to call it Balls of Steels!
However more specifically I’d like to mention 3 inspiring yoga/Pilates teachers who practice strength in both mind and body and have taught me so much in the last year, enriching my understanding of the body and how to sustainably improve my strength and wellbeing.
All of them offer wonderful zoom classes which I wholeheartedly recommend not only for what they will teach you but also the spirit of their guidance, each with their own style, humility and humour. A big thank you to Al (@ajsyogi) Roxy (@roxcoreflex_yoga) and Anna (@annatras) for all that you do!
Click the pictures below to take you to each teacher’s Instagram page
