21/100 Portraits: Painting Akram Khan for PAOTW

Following a short break from painting portraits I had the opportunity to take part in a truly special experience painting in the company of Christabel Blackburn, winner of Portrait Artist of the Year 2020, and all the presenters and judgementals of Portrait Artist of the Year……as well as 100s of other artists all over the world!!!

This fabulous live event was hosted by SkyTV and Portrait Artist of the Year on Facebook Live and we had 4 hours to complete our portrait.

I’m glad I took a screen photo of Akram so I could continue working as they chatted and took their breaks!

I have loved watching Portrait Artist of the Year but not living in the UK I never thought I would get to participate.

This was a dream come true for me!

I didn’t really know what to expect but approached the whole event with joy and excitement, just glad and grateful that I would get the chance to paint in such great company!

I’m so glad I have been practicing portrait painting since lockdown!

The practice helped me cope with the pressure of painting a portrait in 4 hours! Something I have never done before!

In order to complete it in the alloted time I had to be economical and on purpose with every brushstroke. 

This alone helped me stay loose and spontaneous in my approach, something I’ve been trying to achieve.

Check out my video time-lapse below.

Thank you Sky TV and Artist of the Year!

looking forward to the next one!