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Hannah Dunscombe is a painter, portrait artist, and aspiring graphic novelist based in Mansfield, MA.
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This portrait was a good challenge for me, since tabby fur can be so complex. It’s very tempting to get out an eye-lash thin brush and articulate every fleck of white or black to add texture, but it can end up looking hyperrealistic and leave an awkward digital graphics vibe. Instead, I went heavy on the colored pencil, which naturally creates a texture with the grain of the paper, especially when combined with layers of different tones.
Monty & Toby
This is a recent commission that involved pulling two doggos from different photographs and placing them into one portrait.
Remembering Ivy
Whenever Ivy heard a noise that might be related to food, she perked up.
It could be the fridge door opening, or the crinkle of packaging, or even the sound of tablets rattling in a vitamin bottle.
She would pop out of her enclosure, ears alert, nose pointed upward to detect the scent of appetizing food, eyes eager for some confirmation of her suspicion, teeth chattering excitedly.
These would also be accompanied by the classic guinea pig sounds of anticipation: a hopeful "brweep! brweep! beweep!" and the metallic drumming sound of teeth gnawing on the bars of her enclosure.
Saying goodbye to our beloved Ivy
Yesterday was one of the hardest days I've ever had. Ivy has been my friend since 2016. She was there for me when Archie died in 2019, only months before the pandemic started. I never once felt lonely over two years of working from home and then studying from home while my partner was out working each day. She comforted me while he was ill and quarantining for weeks in another room, helped me adjust to moving from an apartment we had lived in for eight years, and celebrated with us when we got engaged…
Comics, de quervain’s, and guinea pigs
I ended up cranking out quite a few drawings in January despite getting covid, and that has continued for part of February. I’m really excited to have incorporated yet another color into the book’s palette: beryl green…
Desk with a view
Since we moved in September 2020, I’ve had my desk in a narrow corner at the entrance of the bedroom, and my guinea pig’s palace at the double window…
Ripley portrait
This was a commission for some friends over the holidays. Isn’t he the sweetest??
Summer Trip to New York State
Last week we visited both my parents and got to see my Aunt Mary who was visiting from Florida. It was a pretty busy visit. Chris drove to his brother's house in lower NY Thursday night, while I went further west to my parents' house. Chris was partially returning his brother's car – which had ended up with us in a roundabout way – but more importantly meeting our new niece!
Tree swallows and sunsets
For the last few months, we've noticed a flock of birds that have congregated on the surface of the pond near our house, swooping and diving on the hunt for bugs swarming the surface of the water. This is always at dusk, so we've only ever been able to see their silhouettes…
Vaccinated
Chris and I are both fully vaccinated! Poor Chris got his second dose the day before his birthday and spent his birthday with a 100-degree fever. Our vaccines were staggered by about 2.5 weeks, with Chris fully vaccinated before me…