Painting Fur and Feathers
I LOVE ANIMALS— and I love to paint them with watercolor because the medium is so versatile. I can depict the softness of fur with wet-into-wet washes, and I can easily duplicate the texture of hair and feathers with drybrush. It’s fun to explore the realistic effects that can be produced with different brushes and techniques.
Suiting the Technique to the Texture
When I’m painting a subject from a distance, I merely suggest the fur or plumage, concentrating on the subject’s form instead. But when I’m painting from a closer view, I apply special techniques to achieve a more detailed rendering. Below are some examples of animal textures.
RENDERING THE EYE If you capture the look in an animal’s eyes, you really capture ...
Get Watercolor: Watercolor 1 now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
