Simmental Bull

Brilliant.

I love this Philip. Are cows/bulls one of your favourite subjects? I get the feeling you love painting them

This is lovely. Nice work Philip.

This is wonderful Philip, the crinkles in the paper give it another dimension.

Who's a pretty boy, then? Well, I am, since you ask...... and if anyone feels like arguing.......... Wonderful painting, and I wish someone would develop a brown wrapping paper that was archival in quality, since it's a marvellous surface. But it's also a surface that has lasted for half a century or more, so with any luck it can be preserved for posterity, as this so deserves to be.

Super!

Good work, Philip.

Thanks to all who commented. To sum up: 1.Yes Shirley I like painting all animals, I was born in the Yorkshire Dales so I suppose cattle and sheep are my favorites. 2. I admire the work of Anders Zorn and have used his limited pallet with a guest blue to get distance in the sky, the brilliant Zorn would have achieved his blue with white and ivory black! The brown paper provides an easy mid-tone start to the painting. 3. Yes Fiona is right the crinkley paper gives subtle light and shade across the piece which I would have struggled to achieve with a brush, I steamed ironed the paper to reduce the crinkle somewhat. 4. I don't know if anyone produces archival quality brown wrapping paper Robert so I will ask when I visit the Patchings Festival a week on Friday. I have upwards of a hundred sheets [A4 long by A5 wide] of the stuff which I salvaged from a delivery of emulsion paint my son had ordered, so I have plenty to go at!!!

I love it Philip, as you say the paper gives a perfect mid tone plus texture. Will you frame it and if so will you have to mount the paper on something more rigid?

Really stunning work. Top drawer stuff indeed. You've really caught the sheer weight of him, he's gorgeous!

Wonderful colours and yes the effect of the paper really works well.

Excellent - so realistic.

Well Barry I am surprised how well this paper takes gouache ,however, I would use the same framing specification as a watercolour paper but i'd definitely keep the crinkle! One of the features of gouache is the matt finish but unpainted areas of the brown paper provide a welcome sheen.

Top marks for originality and fabulous bull Philip.