Thank you for your report!
We have received your report and it is currently under investigation by a forum moderator.
Tiger
Welcome to the forum.
Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.
Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.
Hang on Studio Wall
This is a Studio member-only feature!
Join our Studio membership and save your favourite Painters Online content, from gallery artwork to step-by-step guides, to your own online mood boards. Create your go-to place for inspiration and learning. Plus, members can also enjoy a range of exciting features including monthly art videos and a digital magazine library.
If you are already a Studio member, simply login to your account.
Not a Studio member? Why not try our free 30-day trial - no commitment, no credit card required
Message
Posted
I don't know that being "loose" is necessarily all it's cracked up to be - wrote something about this on here recently. If it's what you really want to do, go ahead and try it - but don't feel you have to.
If you DO want to go loose, probably a key to it is just bigger brushes - bigger than you think you can handle; a good brush holds a lot of paint and not necessarily completely uniform colour, that is it can hold several different but related pigments: the last thing you need when house-painting, but can be useful, depending on many variables, in creative work.
There's a video on YouTube I stumbled upon today - a US artist who said you only really SEE a colour when you use thick paint; the antithesis of that is working very thinly with small brushes; and that won't help with looseness.
On the other hand, I met the artist Victor Voysey once, who liked very, very thin paint over a well-constructed drawing.... but then, he'd been painting for a very long time, and could do that without getting so tight he could hardly move around the canvas. I'm no Victor Voysey, but my suggestion would be: big brushes; thick paint; not too much (or even any) solvent; and keep the medium to a minimum. I'm with him on the sound drawing though, however you progress from there. Your tiger's looking fine so far.
Posted
Too many hard clean cut lines, particularly around the edges leading into the background, won’t help in your quest to loosen up! Get rid of these and blend some into the background, not all but the majority.
I don’t like that cold ‘dead’ black background either, give that some thought!
We see a steady stream on tiger paintings on here, and I’ve yet to see anything convincing! Most are flat and tonally lacking in contrast…That’s because they are working from a photo… don’t just copy what you see, inject your own passion into it!
But that’s just one observation… perhaps vary the thickness of paint to create texture (I think Robert mentioned something similar to this). Old brushes work well, particularly filberts…hold the brush towards the top half of the handle, you’ll get a looser effect, and scrub in some colour, forget about trying to paint in neat individual hairs!
Painting from a photo will invariably lead to a tighter and tonally lacking painting, unless you have the necessary skills to avoid this. Admittedly you have little or no alternative here with a tiger as your subject…
Perhaps bigger brushes… I’m not overly convinced about this, (in the hands of an amateur artist that is), but perhaps worth a try - can I suggest that you take a look at the work of Sarah Eden. She works solely from photos, and in my opinion, is one of the best and most talented painters of animals in the U.K. not a particularly loose style but take a look, you can learn something from her work!
Finally, be positive in your attitude, you have already said that you are likely to fail! That’s not the best approach…
As an afterthought, it would be also worth looking at the paintings of the late David Shepherd, you can learn a lot from his approach to painting wildlife in their natural habitat!
Edited
by Alan Bickley
Posted
I haven't commented before but this caught my eye as I've just started working on something very similar myself, albeit a leopard instead of a tiger. As others have said, the drawing looks really good and the fur texture is coming on well.
I can't help too much on the looseness side of things (I'm a very tight painter myself!), but on the colours... There is quite a lot of blue in the photo, on the underside of the tigers chin. Maybe adding a little blue into the greys? One thing about working from photos is you can see colours where you might not expect them, I find.
Much as I love zoo visits, tigers and other big cats aren't always obliging! Sometimes you might be lucky to have 30 seconds of viewing one, whilst also competing with dozens of excited children. Even taking photos you don't always get clear and usable images, and when you've paid £30 for the zoo ticket.... (I say this from experience). It's difficult, I know.
Posted
Good points Catherine…gosh £30 a ticket. Both you and Thomas have some lovely work in your galleries.
Also each to his own, I have used found pics and used them as reference. But my way is usually from life or my own photographs, Plus I have been lucky enough to sit in a jeep and draw lions.
Sitting in a field of sheep or cows is often interesting.
Interesting discussion Thomas.
Edited
by Sylvia Evans
Posted
Thanks Sylvia... I've also been lucky enough to have my own photos from safaris that I still use. I know that working from photos has limitations but I like making detailed paintings of exotic animals, so it's something I accept! I do make a point of using my own photos only, though I know that's not possible for everyone.
Following on from Russell's point, I usually have to edit my photos a lot on the computer to get the contrast and colour balance I want... it can make a huge difference.
Posted
I use a combination of methods. Photos, still life, sketches from life and my own reference photos. I think what's important when using a reference photo is, that you can use it in any way you wish, it is a guide. I think here, you have tried to make your painting exact to your reference. There would be many ways to loosen up. For example, hinting at the direction of the fur without putting every strand in. Maybe try it in watercolour. A quick charcoal sketch to get the feel of the shape and contours of the animal before painting. Remember, a reference photo, is just a guide.
Posted
Thanks for all the replies. I live in North Scotland so while I have access to some amazing scenery, zoos, not so much. If you want pics of highland coos then all I have to do is walk outside and down the lane a bit. I understand the photo has a lack of high contrast but it was one that spoke to me. I find that if I paint photos that I have a connection with I find it more enjoyable and I'm more likely to find time to paint.
If anyone wants pics of the highlands from a different perspective I can help. Here's one from the other day.
