Question 1

What was the easiest animal to watercolour?

Accepted Answer

Just about any animal subject can be either easy or difficult in watercolour! It all depends on your approach- your techniques, the posing of the subject and the references images you use.  I personally find it easiest to paint animals in watercolour when they are in a position where they are facing the viewer, you can inject and capture so much personality in the face and eyes. But you cannot neglect the power of the full body shot of a watercolour animal. The position of their legs, where they are facing, their tail (if they have one!) can tell a whole story in itself. You can capture emotions like fear, excitement, love, anger in just one simple, full body pose.  Another favourite subject of mine is two or more animals in action, fighting or in the act of being caught by or escaping a predator. It allows me to capture the excitement of the chase or fight, the fear or determination of the prey and pride or fall of the predator giving chase. It always makes of a vary dynamic watercolour animal painting and an exciting piece of wall art.  My predator/prey fighting pieces will be on sale in my shop in the next few months, coming soon!

Question 2

How do you paint animal eyes in watercolour?

Accepted Answer

Whether you are painting a photorealistic animal for a discerning recipient or a cutesy creature for a nursery, getting watercolour animal eyes just right can be a challenge, especially for beginners.   Here are some practical tips you can start using right now!  When you are painting the eye of an animal at a distance (or painting the whole animal, not a close up) you may need to take an impressionist approach, giving the idea of an eye or eyes to the viewer. This can often be awkward in watercolour as once you have gotten down your colours or textures you can have easily painted over the location of the eye with a darker watercolour tone.   My own technique involves... a different kind of paint! If you need some white in particular, it can be hard to save a tiny spot of white blank when painting or paint white watercolour paint over the top, it does not look as bold as you need it to! I totally get it! I have found using a white paint pen to be the best solution! A simple dot of white, once dry, works great as you add the iris and pupil, allowing it to tbe bold enough for the viewer to appreciate what the white of the eye really means in this animal's expression.  You can use this technique for close up eyes too, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. As much as I love this technique for a small area, it may not work so well when you have to cover a larger area of the canvas.  In this case, I personally try to leave an area blank if possible, then you can add some shading or highlights as required. If you really cannot leave the area blank (note this little technique that I love - if you accidentally paint some colour or let it run where it shouldn't be, a good, dry brush can soak it up! You can even use a little piece of tissue too if a dry brush isn't on hand). If all else fails, or you need a very bold white, the previous technique may be your better option!  Best of luck with your watercolour animal eyes! If you get stuck or need some help or tutoring, reach out to me here, I offer watercolour tutorials and lessons for all skill levels :), there may even be a sale on right now, you will need to click (or get in touch) and see ;).

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Animal Watercolour Collection