Many artists are apprehensive about drawing and painting animals. They might really want to draw their own pet for instance, but all that fur just overwhelms them. So where do you even start?
I vividly remember struggling to paint animals when I started more than 20 years ago. Instruction was almost non-existent back then, and what did exist sorely lacked in detail and techniques, almost as if the artists were keeping secrets back. It was so frustrating. I made it my goal to share everything I learnt myself, so others could progress quickly.
When you are confronted with something difficult, I have found that it’s best to try to simplify it, to break it down into more manageable and achievable parts. With regards to animal fur, the first stage is the basic tone and colour. I try to make this layer just slightly darker than I want the finished artwork to be, so the lighter details will show up when placed on top.
The second stage is where I start adding the shadow areas of the fur texture, these are the small areas you sometimes see in between the lighter hairs – something I will explore in detail in the lion demo below. If the lighter hairs only need to be moderately lighter than the darker “underfur” textures, then you won’t need the stage above.
The third stage is where I begin to add lighter, more detailed fur and hairs on top of the first two layers. This final stage might take many layers, maybe four or five, before I have built a painting to the stage where it looks like realistic fur. Let me show you my process using some examples.
THE RIGHT MATERIALS
Denne historien er fra Winter 2021-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
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Denne historien er fra Winter 2021-utgaven av Artists & Illustrators.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Still life IN 3 HOURS
Former BP Portrait Award runner-up FELICIA FORTE guides you through a simple, structured approach to painting alla prima that tackles dark, average and light colours in turn
Movement in composition
Through an analysis of three masterworks, landscape painter and noted author MITCHELL ALBALA shows how you can animate landscape composition with movement
Shane Berkery
The Irish-Japanese artist talks to REBECCA BRADBURY about the innovative concepts and original colour combinations he brings to his figurative oil paintings from his Dublin garden studio
The Working Artist
Something old, something new... Our columnist LAURA BOSWELL has expert advice for balancing fresh ideas with completing half-finished work
Washes AND GLAZES
Art Academy’s ROB PEPPER introduces an in-depth guide to incorporating various techniques into your next masterpiece. Artwork by STAN MILLER, CHRIS ROBINSON and MICHELE ILLING
Hands
LAURA SMITH continues her new four-part series, which encourages you to draw elements of old master paintings, and this month’s focus is on capturing hands
Vincent van Gogh
To celebrate The Courtauld’s forthcoming landmark display of the troubled Dutch master’s self-portraits, STEVE PILL looks at the stories behind 10 of the most dramatic works on display
BRING THE drama
Join international watercolour maestro ALVARO CASTAGNET in London’s West End to paint a dramatic street scene
Serena Rowe
The Scottish painter tells STEVE PILL why time is precious, why emotional responses to colour are useful, and how she finds focus every day with the help of her studio wall
Bill Jacklin
Chatting over Zoom as he recovers from appendicitis, the Royal Academician tells STEVE PILL about classic scrapes in New York and his recent experiments with illustration
