Watercolour Animals

 Buster, my ginger cat as a WIP

I met some  wonderful people on my workshops last week. During the afternoon sessions I usually give one on one tuition to guide artists on a more personal level. I love this part of each teaching day because I then get to know  people attending my classes individually.

One of the favourite topics this week was painting animals especially their eyes. Working from a starting point I created Buster,my cat, using the right eye as my main area to work away from. If you were in the class you will have witnessed soft initial washes which have developed into stronger colours in further layering.

In this particular pose Buster was about to pounce on a toy so he was in a position prior to taking action. Here I am  aiming at keeping his face more detailed with his body as a blur in the background to hint at that being further away from the viewer of my finished piece. His expression needs to look as though he is concentrating on his "prey"!

If you study the first image of the progress,then the one seen below you can see how the second eye started and finally came to life with the addition of detail as seen in the above WIP.

Buster, WIP in an earlier stage before more detail was added for the nose,second eye and mouth section.

I have decisions to make to complete this painting. I can hint at the second ear. Add to the second eye. Even add the bells on his collar if I wish!  This is where the painting will become very personal to me as the artist; and I will allow my brushes to be guided freely by how I feel with each placement of colour!

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I have had lovely emails letting me know I am missed when I take workshops because my watercolour blog goes so quiet while I am away. So if you missed me this week this post is for you! And if you were on my workshop when I started Buster I hope you will follow how this post with a smile!