Hogwarts.

It has always been a dream to do a Hogwarts painting and I got that chance recently. My friend, Justin, wanted me to paint Hogwarts with Harry flying over it. We agreed I'd do it in black and white, but when push came to shove, I did it in color and that was a great decision. Here's a couple of detail shots. Can't even believe Harry's face looks like a decent face. His face is probably the size of my pinky fingernail! Click to enlarge and I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed making it!

Bellatrix.

A friend recently asked me to do a portrait of Bellatrix LeStrange and what a character she is. I made sure to take my time and had a lot of fun doing the hair (though, I must admit, upon looking at it, I was incredibly overwhelmed). It has received a lot of positive feedback and that makes me happy. Lots more portraits in the future. Trying to get better with each thing I paint.

Newt Scamander.

Last, but certainly not least, is Newt Scamander! Really pleased with the way this whole series turned out. I heard the new Fantastic Beasts movie isn't very good, but I'm still excited because it's part of the magical wizarding world. Next up I'm doing a new set in December. I'll see you on the 1st while I prep and paint!

Gellert Grindelwald.

Johnny Depp plays the big villain, Grindelwald, that Dumbledore has an infamous duel with in the wizarding world. I think I did a great job with this. Also, I'm still unsure of this casting.

Leta Lestrange.

A new character from the upcoming Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is Leta Lestrange. Little is known about her, but I am looking forward to learning more once I see the movie!

McGonagall.

THIS IS MY 800TH POST!! I love a strong woman. It doesn't get any stronger than Professor McGonagall. She is a great headmistress and I would follow her into any battle. Maggie Smith is a gem. This one got away from me, but I like the colors.

Dumbledore.

While I do love Snape, Dumbledore is a close second. Wise, lots of good quotes, always two steps ahead; Dumbledore is great. I always identified more with Richard Harris, but Michael Gambon brought a level of certainty to the character that Harris lacked, though I did love how fragile Harris was. Anyway, his hat took me a long time.

Severus Snape.

I think Snape is my favorite character from the Harry Potter series. He is one of the most complex and layered characters in all of literature if you ask me. I love him so much. I also love to hate him (a little bit). Snape, like Rickman, was taken from us too soon. Did you know he died at the young age of 38 in the books? Such a tragedy.

Harry Potter.

You can't have the series without the main character himself! Did you know they had over 300 kids audition for the role of Harry Potter over a period of 7 months and they found Daniel Radcliffe because they sat in front of him at the movies and convinced his parents to have him audition for the role and the rest is history.

Hermione Granger.

Next up is Hermione Granger. Hermione is the only character to get a special gold background because she is great and deserves it. The Sorting Hat had a hard time placing Hermione. She almost went into Ravenclaw.

Ron Weasley.

I'm back at it with a small series of 9 Harry Potter inspired portraits as a sort of kick off/countdown to Fantastic Beasts! Harry Potter is a series I hold very near and dear to my heart and so I wanted to do these portraits. Matt helped with the embossed glitter you see around Ron. Glitter itself is pretty magical and I couldn't think of a better series to make it a part of. First up: Ron Weasley!