Tags
Animals, bull, Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals, drawing animals, painting animals, red bull, tutorial
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Hello! Today’s tutorial is sort of a Take It Further option of Chapter 5: Imaginary Animals: Abstract Watercolor Starts. (Regular readers will recognize this piece!)
I will be showing you how I made the above drawing/painting (kind of interchangeable in my mind). However, this only outlines how I happened to finish this particular piece, and it could have gone many different ways and still have been successful (or not). If you choose to try the steps outlined below, remember that the result will — and should — turn out differently… your own unique hand will enter the process, a very good thing!
(Click to enlarge images.)
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SUPPLIES NEEDED
One piece of hot press 140# watercolor paper, about 7″x10″
watecolors, brushes (I like a #12 round)
white gesso
mechanical pencil
spray fixative
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STEP 1
(This first step is really two steps combined, as i hadn’t originally planned to make this a tutorial and didn’t scan the very first step.)
Step 1a. Using red watercolor and a #12 round brush, mix up a very watery amount and make a mark. I started with the tail in this case. Once I had a shape I liked, I picked up the paper and added more watercolor to the base of the tail, and then tipped my paper so that the pigment would slide across the page. I had a dog in mind, and just kept repeating the mark/dripping process until I had a recognizable animal (head, body, four legs). Also, load your brush with pigment and then “splatter” it onto the page randomly by hitting the brush against your hand.
While the paint was still wet, I went in to some of the areas and pulled out little lines (fur!) from some of the areas with a sharp stylus (though you can also use a mechanical pencil or even a shish kabab skewer). Here’s a detail:
Step 1b. Once your red watercolor is dry, mix up another color of your choice and color in your animal, leaving the areas where you want the eyes, white.
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STEP 2
Step 2. Here I added some blue watercolor on the body, and some pencil iines as fur once that dried. In addition, I decided to “take a risk” and turn the head a bit, as I was feeling the original was a little boring. (At this point the “dog” became a bull.) I also decided to pencil in the eyes, and changed their shape a bit at this step as well. Let dry.
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STEP 3
Step 3. After changing the head direction, I felt it would be too difficult to hide the original lines without the help of the big guns — gesso. Using a small, round, dry brush I added the fur on the body. Then, I wet the brush a little when i applied it on the face. I also added a white layer to the eyes with a very small brush. Let dry completely.
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STEP 4
Step 4. All the shading and details were then pulled out using a regular, cheap mechanical pencil (2B). When applying your pencil lines for fur especially, keep your hand very loose and apply more pressure at the beginning of the stroke than at the end of the stroke. Work fairly quickly so you don’t over-think it — fur is usually scraggly!
Here’s a detail:
Spray with fixative. Done!
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This post is part of a Two-Week Book Release Celebration for my new book, “Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed-Media Workshop with Carla Sonheim.” For the schedule, which includes book and art giveaways, contributing artists features, tutorials, and assignments, click here.
really like this one…and it was really great to the see the tutorial. It is helpful to see all the steps. Thanks for sharing and for the inspiration. ( :
Boy -oh -boy… I can hardly wait to give this a try. Thanks!
What a lovely book and what a gorgeous red bull. It makes this rainy monday morning shine! Thank you and all the best!
Hi Carla! I so love your book! I work for a book distribution company that distributes to a couple of national retail chains so I receive advance copies prior to the on-sale date. I fell in love with your book immediately and spent the weekend reading it. Love your style and all the inspirational tips to help us all tap into our imaginations! Best wishes on the launch of your book! xoxox
such a great tute, with your beautiful art work, it’s making me smile.
thank you for sharing this part. Very awesome work of yours!!!!
He is so cute Carla – he has such a thoughtful expression going on. Not sure what he is thinking, but no one throw out a red flag!!!!!
Your bull/dog is wonderful. Thanks for sharing the process!
I pre-ordered a copy of your book on amazon and can’t wait for it to come! Congratulations Carla!
Thanks for the tutorial! I can’t wait to try it out!
I LOVE it. Thank you for showing how you did it. I am excited to try it with a sheep! There is also a BIG pig in a yard I see on the way home from work……
Yea!!! So cute! I love how the red shows beneath the white. Such detail! Thanks for sharing =)
Wow…I might have to try this one myself rather than my grandson!! Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this! Very generous!
Great illustration I have your other illustration books regards janet keen
Love the face: love the fur. Never underestimate the power of gesso. 🙂
Carla, this is wonderful! I really miss taking one of your live online class, your work is so, so inspiring! When is the next one? I am there!
So excited about the book and what a great tutorial! Thanks so much. You have such a sense of magic and whimsey in your draintings (drawing/painting). (-:
This is so exciting! I love ur first book and can’t wait to get the new one. Thank you for all of the inspiration.
zentangles with life…so great….want to give this a try
Thanks for the tutorial. I can’t wait to try it out.
Oh man, you cannot believe how excited I am about this tutorial. I saw your blog banner and instantly fell in love with it. It’s so mythical creature-y and colorful! Thanks, I’ll give it a try. 🙂
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