I love animals.  Drawing and painting animals has been a passion of mine since I can remember.  My teenage children at home give me such a hard time because everytime I see an animal when I am out and about, I whip out my camera on my phone and snap a picture!  This morning -- yes, this very morning -- on my way to teach art at Circle Christian School, I saw some graceful deer!  I stopped dead in the road (after making sure no one was behind me of course) and snapped a photo. 

                                                              

Look at this precious creation!  I thanked God for showing me His glory and headed on down the highway, my children poking me with comments about causing accidents and being some sort of a nature nut.  "I highly resemble that remark!" I retorted back.  Some day they will see the value and the amazing beauty in what their 'crazy' mom sees.  Actually, come to think of it, they do, through the eyes of my paintings!

When I first paint an animal in oils, I begin with a grisaille underpainting.  Grisaille is a term for a painting executed entirely in monochrome or near-monochrome, usually in shades of grey.  With the fox above however, I started with a grisaille underpainting in shades of burnt sienna mixed with ultramarine blue.  I wiped out the lighter areas, and even added a little titanium white to the areas I wished to be a little lighter.  I let my underpainting dry for about a week and began my other layers of color.  I deepened my darkest darks with violet and laid in the fur by working dark to light.  There are many hours of work in these animal painting over many days.  Often people look and think I just whip things out in no time, and sometimes I do!  But for the richest furs on the animals, I like to take my time and work layer by layer.  

My 7-12th grade students are working on animal portrait right now in class.  Instead of oils, they are working in colored pencils.  With colored pencils, I usually work light to dark, which is the opposite of what I do when I work in oils.  For the healthy-looking robin (above) called "The Joy of Spring," I used Derwent colored pencils.

I began by doing a grisaille drawing using shades of yellow ochre colored pencil.  Next, I added burnt sienna, raw sienna, burnt umber, raw umber and violet. 

When the 7-12th graders finish their drawings, I will post some for you.  I think you will be amazed.  I love sharing my passion with them and learn many things from them as well!  They sure do keep me on my toes and every visual challenge they have, I have as their instructor, so we dive in and try new things and learn together.  I am so grateful for what I do!

I hope you see some amazing critters in your world today.  If you do, please comment and/or post some pictures for me so I can see them.  Thanks and we'll see you soon! 

Laura

Prayer:  Father, thank you for all the amazing animals you created and the opportunities to share them with others on canvas.  I am so grateful for the vision and desire you have given me and so many others, like my students, who wish to do so.  I pray these visions and paintings will touch hearts and help others see the beauty of your creation and help them rest in your amazing peace. And as we walk or drive may we not be in such a hurry that we miss the simplicity of your grace in the common and the unusual people, insects, animals, plants, rainbows, clouds... the list goes on.  Be exalted in all the earth!  Amen.

Psalm 46:10  "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”