Woodland Sorrel Paint Along Demo
Finished Painting
This tutorial marks the beginning of landscape experiments for me. I want to broaden my use of pastel and hone my own skills for different styles of mark making. I'd like to share this process with you. I'll experiment on different papers and try to break old habits to unlock some new techniques.
I took this photo reference in Gosford Park Northern Ireland and I've been meaning to paint it for ages. My approach in this painting was different to how I normally work and I tried to blend less and keep my marks quite loose.
This is a good tutorial if you're looking to explore your pastel sticks further and use less detail to capture something that looks complex.
All three parts are colour coded and I chatted the whole way through so you have my guidance from beginning to end.
Woodland Sorrel Tutorial - Part 1
Woodland Sorrel Tutorial - Part 2
Woodland Sorrel Tutorial - Part 3
Timelapse Video
Spaniel in Soft Focus
Finished Painting
In this piece I want to show you different ways to create depth in a painting. I'll show you how to blur areas to appear out of focus drawing our eye to where the detail is. Curls are always a challenge but with this method you'll see how I work all the areas to different levels of detail.
The first part is footage only taking you part of the way into the dog's face. Then there are over four hours of narrated and colour coded videos to take you through the main focus of this tutorial.
Spaniel Tutorial - Part 1
Footage Only
Spaniel Tutorial - Part 2
The Face and Ears
Spaniel Tutorial - Part 3
The Face and Ears
Spaniel Tutorial - Part 4
Body and Bed
Timelapse Video
Grey Tabby Cat
Finished Painting
This is the second of two small cat portraits done as a pair. At only 7" square it's the perfect small project to work along with and work on your feline painting techniques.
Below you will find all 3 parts totalling just under 4 hours. Each part is colour coded and narrated giving you guidance from beginning to end.
Grey Tabby Tutorial - Part 1
Grey Tabby Tutorial - Part 2
Grey Tabby Tutorial - Part 3
Timelapse Video
Sunset Harbour Paint Along Demo
Finished Painting
This 'paint along' style demo is around 5 hours long allowing you to work from beginning to end with me on a serene sunset.
In this piece I wanted to focus on creating interesting silhouettes. I talk a lot about the tonal values, but also how to add more life to your darkest areas. It's easy for silhouettes to look a bit flat so I hope I can give you some useful tips throughout this piece and help you make the best of your sunset reference images.
You're welcome to have a go at this one using my reference download below. But this tutorial is really aimed at giving you the tools and techniques for you to apply in your reference own images.
Sunset Harbour Tutorial - Part 1
Sunset Harbour Tutorial - Part 2
Sunset Harbour Tutorial - Part 3
Sunset Harbour Tutorial - Part 4
Timelapse Video
Black and White Cat
Finished Painting
This smaller project is the perfect piece to work along with if you want to improve your cat portraits. In this piece I show how to work from photo reference that is less than perfect. We deal with creating the contrast between the light and dark areas and I show how I adjust the eyes to capture the likeness.
It's a piece I made mistakes on, taking many attempts to get the whiskers just right. So I hope you can learn from my process and see how to make important corrections in soft pastel.
Totalling just 4 hours the first part shows you the footage of the background being created. Then there are over 2.5 detailed hours working on the cat with narration and colour codes.
You'll find the reference image for this one by clicking the button below. You can also access a full pack of extra photos to work on a similar cat by clicking HERE
Black and White Cat Tutorial - Part 1
Footage Only of Background
Black and White Cat Tutorial - Part 2
The Cat
Black and White Cat Tutorial - Part 3
The Cat
Timelapse Video
Collie on Tiles
Finished Painting
This project takes you from the beginning creating the tiled background effect. I talk lots about the perspective and how to make that effect hold together the whole composition in what could easily look like an awkward pose.
This is a great series to work along with even if you're just starting out. The fur is not too challenging and it's the perfect piece to try if you want to work on your mark making using mostly the pastel sticks.
A great all round project covering perspective, colour choices, colour harmony, fur textures and more!
Collie on Tiles - Part 1
The Tiles
Collie on Tiles - Part 2
The Face
Collie on Tiles - Part 3
The Face
Collie on Tiles - Part 4
The Body (Footage Only)
Timelapse Video
Fennec Fox Paint Along Demo
Finished Painting
I photographed some fennec foxes recently and have been wanting a good excuse to paint this one. I plan to paint a larger piece with two of them but this was a good opportunity to do a smaller study. Perfect for making into one of my paint along demos!
As always with these ones I chat while I paint and this totals between 6 and 7 hours of real time paint along footage.
I limited myself to only the Unison Animal set so it should be possible for many of you to work along with the same colours.
This is a furry challenge! The cracks and ridges in the fur proved tricky, and I used a different paper that I don't normally use for fur. Because of that in this tutorial you see me have to make corrections and go in other directions. I hope it's helpful to see how I managed to mix and make do with less colours.
The photo reference for this demo is at the link below. Or you can choose a different fennec fox image at the following link - EXTRA FOX IMAGES
Fennec Fox Tutorial - Part 1
Fennec Fox Tutorial - Part 2
Fennec Fox Tutorial - Part 3
Materials
Cheetah
Finished Painting
This piece was always going to be a challenge. Any fur with a complex pattern is going to take a bit longer than normal.
I created this series keeping in mind what you might be most interested in. The two colour coded and narrated parts show you the entire face and most of the body so you get in depth guidance on creating this type of pattern.
The most important aspect to this piece was to create the dramatic lighting. The dark jungle atmosphere, and the striking patches of sunlight on the animal. It's a great piece to learn from, packed full of information!
You could watch along or paint the whole thing. There is also a nice option to do a smaller crop from just the cheetah. I've included all photo reference to help you at the link below.
Cheetah Tutorial - Part 1
Footage Only
Cheetah Tutorial - Part 2
The Face
Cheetah Tutorial - Part 3
The Body
Cheetah Tutorial - Part 4
Footage Only
Cheetah Tutorial - Part 5
Footage Only
Timelapse Video
Tiger Paint Along
Finished Painting
The Paint Along series is slightly different from most of my tutorials. I chat while I work, they are usually shorter projects perfect to paint along with. But in this case I got a bit carried away and made a giant paint along demo using this fantastic tiger.
I really took my time on this piece trying to do justice to a beautiful animal and explaining each step of the way about my colour choices and the type of marks I'm making. Everything is laid out for you to follow at your own pace.
There are no colour codes in this series as it makes it quicker for me to edit and produce more of these videos, but I do try to name the colours a lot as I go. All information and materials is at the start of part 1.
The tutorial totals just over 12 hours so this is a mammoth project. Prepare for a long journey but know that you will emerge with so much more technical ability and knowledge. And hopefully enjoy the process too!
And don't forget to download your tiger photo pack at the link below. I've provided you with a few different shots of the same tiger so you can choose another if you like.
Tiger Tutorial - Part 1
Tiger Tutorial - Part 2
Tiger Tutorial - Part 3
Tiger Tutorial - Part 4
Tiger Tutorial - Part 5
Tiger Tutorial - Part 6
Timelapse Video
Ethiopian wolf
Finished Painting
I enjoyed painting this stunning Ethiopian wolf so much and hope that this series will teach you a lot about creating a sense of depth in your work. You can watch the entire painting in real time but there are certain parts that have both narration and colour codes giving you extra guidance on the techniques used.
My Patrons voted to see the face of the wolf and also how I created the foreground area so these are the parts I focused on with my narration. You could simply watch this one or even work along with me on a smaller cropped version of the head. You don't always have to paint the whole painting to learn from it. But this is certainly a painting through which you can pick up some valuable tips regarding creating realism through the depth of field.
Ethiopian wolf Tutorial - Part 1 Footage Only
Ethiopian wolf Tutorial - Part 2 The Face
Ethiopian wolf Tutorial - Part 3 The Face
Ethiopian wolf Tutorial - Part 4 Footage Only
Ethiopian wolf Tutorial - Part 5
The Foreground
Ethiopian wolf Tutorial - Part 6
Footage Only