Focus On Animal Art: Pets, Wildlife, Birds, Insects and Marine Life

Wildlife art takes the ‘lion’s share’ of colour opportunity and zany art techniques. Think of the tiger’s stripes, leopard’s spots, butterfly wings and insects. Think of eyes, snouts, manes, shells and paws. The artist is spoiled for choice when it comes to the animal kingdom. But problems can arise, such as skewed eyes, flat lighting or a dull background. The animal may appear stuffed rather than predatory. Brash or muddy colours flourish from the brush.

Art Techniques and Bright Colours in Animal Painting

Different species may confound the artist on what art technique will suit. A dog portrait, a majestic horse, or shimmering reef fish can be expressed in many ways. Which is best? A limited palette, complementary colours or impasto? Every genus brings the question of paint use.

Furthermore, certain art pigments seldom used will find an airing in wildlife art; such as the true primary colours for birds and insects. Lemon yellow and permanent rose are seldom seen in its pure state. But peacocks and reef fish can change all this.

Such vibrant colours force the artist to use paint neat, as in alla prima. The nature of pigments suddenly reveals itself: the colour temperature, translucency and tinting strength.

Spots and Stripes of Big Cats and Other Markings

Textures and markings on animal skin can seem overwhelming. Leopard spots and tiger’s stripes dazzle the eyes. Should each marking require high detail or be implied? A danger of harsh outlines and muddled areas can occur. A loss of steam can lead to a half-finished animal painting. How can the artist finish the art project?

Alla prima or impasto can bring freshness and a brisk approach to a complex area. Working in layers can also streamline intricate patterns. From here, high contrast and blazing textures bring exciting and new ways to explore animal art without having to fiddle with detail.

Animal Fur for Equestrian Art and Other Domestic Animals

The prospect of painting fur will inevitably arrive. The urge to paint every hair can imply a creature stuffed rather than a live pet. A horse painting for instance, often displays a patchwork of intricate colour shapes, tonal shifts and highlights that imply millions of hairs.

See how manes and tails can hold reds, umbers, violets and silvery hair. Transcribing these nuances means moving beyond simply copying a photograph of a mammal. The dog, cat or guineapig can be well expressed via a mindful brush. This links to animal portraiture, a most demanding aspects of animal art. Trials and niggles could easily occur.

Pet Portraiture: Eyes, Snouts and other Facial Features

Pet art means extra caution for owners who want the character captured; the doughy eyes, the half-grin or raised eyebrow. A tear duct or whisker out of place can rob the likeness. The highlights and detail of the eyes often take the focus, but the surrounding features carry equal importance and can easily be overlooked.

The Background to Animal Art

An overconcern for the shape of any lifeform can overshadow the background of the painting. What does the artist do about this ‘blank’ space? Animal study speaks through the setting too, and an ill-conceived backdrop as well as poor lighting can ruin the painting. This links to taking good photographs of animals from where clear detail can be seen.

Perception of Animal Structure and Character

Learn to see beneath the surface of the fur, feathers and plumage to the anatomy of the creature portrayed. A basic understanding of proportion will avert skewed drawings and lopsided features. The way a flamingo carries its head, the stance of a cockerel or the haunches of a lion.

Painting Underwater Scenes, Fishes, Insects and Marine Life

By contrast, sea life inhabits a serene world. An underwater painting presents the chance to blend and glaze with artist mediums. A high finish can be achieved for scales, spines and shells.

The rippling sunlight dancing against turtles or crabs can be decoded into simple art techniques when viewed as a whole. Depicting sea creatures presents unique challenges for the artist.

A Central Resource for the Wildlife Artist

My collection of articles explores how to develop and improve wildlife art, domestic pets and the wider kingdom. Subject matter covers big cats, horses, dogs (and other mammals), sea creatures, birds and more. Find a wider choice on this blog as new tutorials are being added. Wider pathways to wildlife painting practices can be found here.

Further Reading

Art materials needed for oil painting
How to preserve your art brushes
Painting impasto efficiently

Explore More on my sister blog on how to paint a dog's head in oils or a draw a horse head with pastels.
Or browse my collection of articles on wildlife art.