Wham Bam, lovely Sam!

A dear (2nd) cousin of mine, my fellow Wong - Samantha.




Firstly, huge amounts of apologies to the lass, as this is nine months overdue! I had either tried earlier on but found her a tad difficult to paint, lost my mood (very mood dependent), lost my paints (as I'd done so in Vietnam) and thus left poor Sam unfinished... or basically, I was incapable! I think the latter is the winning reason.

Anyhow, I had honestly started painting dearest Sam back in Vietnam (Family Guesthouse, Sapa) and that would have been around March/April. I wasn't too pleased with the initial outcome (no umph!), reckoning it was the final option...and then eventually, due to my occasional scatty behaviour, I left my beautiful paints and paintbrushes in a small village far, far way....so they were definitely unretrievable. Thus, lost my mood completely!

Anyhow, back in the British Isles, I've managed to complete Sam - touching up the original. It's amazing what layers can do. Sam, all in all, was a treat to paint - especially the final layers - lighting effects etc. Her lips were a treat as well as her cute cheeks. Her greenish hair and contrasting purple cubed background suits her fiancé's painting; Prime Minhster (See below). Her nose could really have done with an improvement i.e. my skills were lacking. Photos will present the before and after scenes...








Cousin Sam has been extremely patient and I've been unfair...but her cuteness can be portrayed from the painting itself. A lot of joy and lotta Love X

Prime Minhster

My buddy and cousin-in-law to be - Minh Hoong!





Again, a real pleasure to paint - although once again did not take my time in < 2 hours!

Lack of planning has really led to a longer headed Minh, sorry. But seriously really enjoyed painting him all the same.

Minh's strong features were a treat to paint. He has a bold look, hence the heavier colours used to depict it. Can you see he is is giving a slight smirk in this painting? As cousin Sam (Minh's fiancé) claims, he is wearing his 'base layer' (whilst on his intrepid travels across the world). He is in fact meant to be wearing a smart blazer! But that's the beauty of art, the viewer can create his/her own story - especially if the painting isn't up to scratch! (eek). I've used the purple Vorticism as the background again since this gives a real sense of calm and definition to the foreground. See Minh's process below...





Pleasure & fun to paint the prime Minhster himself! Please excuse the longer head. Enjoy x

HauBerry paintable

Once again, I was in SaPa (Vietnam) surrounded by those awfully pretty green mountains and rice terraces, embellished in clear(ish), clean(ish), succulent(ish) air and embraced in relatively peaceful tranquility (this is minus the full vocal shouting between locals, the restoration drilling work that began at 7am daily and the constant vehicle beeping taking place outside).

It was March 2012, and being a restless individual, I figured the series of paints I owned, the paintbrushes and the blank canvas were looking lonely. I paired this with the knowing thought that my friends were going to envisage the two become one (marriage) in June of that same year. A personalised gift was the ultimate necessary, and those mountains were offering me a motivated painting mood. And why not? At the time, I'd chosen my room in 'Thang Loi' guesthouse as it offered a nice & neat setting for painting together with it's decorative imprisoned view of the mountains [see below] (...though I'd since found a better room).




.The Vista





Here we go! Here are - the now-newlyweds; Jane & James Berry.
(Jane née Hau - hence, HauBerry).

I thought I'd spark & quirk them up a little more. Jane enjoying her little crown/tiara, and James...well, James is seriously enjoying his polka dot gleaming red bow-tie.

I was limited to the choice of photos I could copy - and this one seemed to be the most apt.
Please excuse all forms of amatuer detail - I'm learning!





.The [attempted] Process







.HauBerry Result
a how very (hauberry) unlikely resemblance, but..I had fun. And, according to me, that's what counts.





Note: Whilst painting, I hadn't yet booked my flight home and figured I would be mailing this 'artistic feature' (heh!) back to the Isles of Britannia. Not at all do I regret not returning home to their welcoming and wonderful FUN wedding. Thanks J&J! CONGRATULATIONS. I'd appreciate if you could host another partay like that. I enjoyed painting you lots and could easily do it again. How about an annual wedding anniversary? Perhaps? !