I love animals, be they pets or wild animals. Squirrels are among them. I haven’t taken a usable photo of a squirrel yet because it’s moving so fast that by the time i turn on my camera, it’s already a long way off. Of course, i’ve also heard of gentle squirrels eating out of hand. At the highest point of the country, Kékestető, they are so gentle.
A couple of years ago, i pitched my tent next to Lake Balaton in the belief that i had chosen a good place. But there was a war over me at night, two gangs of squirrels fighting loudly against each other. Needless to say, i didn’t sleep all night because of the deafening screams and the acorns and pine cones slamming into the tent like a projectile.
However, i couldn’t get mad at them as they only lived their natural mating instincts.
They look very beautiful and cute animals with big eyes, fluffy tails, nimble and graceful movements.
Last night, while searching Pixabay, I found such a beauty. I mirrored the image vertically because i prefer to look to the right of the one it depicts. In the original photo, the squirrel's tail was cut off halfway, but i completed it.
I tried to bring a bit of lightness into the whole picture, in addition to making the squirrel quite detailed.
Now let's see the step-by-step process!
Colors used (Sonnet watercolors, 24): golden ocher, burnt siena, natural siena, sepia, black, light green, dark green, light yellow, Indian yellow, natural umbra.
Paper: Fabriano 300g, A/4 block.
As a first step, i drew the squirrel and its surroundings, determining where the highlights will be.
I covered the highlights with masking liquid. Plus, i also surrounded the edges of the image with it in a way that was irregularly jagged like some old image.
I started with the background, going from layer to layer.
I painted the darkest parts with several layers of sepia.
Painting the hair was not easy. I didn’t want it to be mechanical and overly elaborate.
Thicker brush strokes were followed by thinner ones. I drew the shiny, fluffy hairs with white gel pen.
The squirrel's eyes sparkle brightly.
I also had to pay attention to the direction of the hair.
Bokeh effect between the trees in the background, the thick branch is coarser (dry brush technique)
The whole picture: