Animal portrait painting is a great way to create art of your favorite animal or favorite pet. If you’ve never created an animal portrait painting before, it can be a little intimidating to get started. But you shouldn’t be afraid! Once you finish your painting, you’ll have something unique you’ve created that you can be proud of. Even if it doesn’t turn out perfect, there’s always next time.
But for this time, here are some tips to give the best effort possible:
Pick Your Materials
There are a lot of ways to create an animal portrait painting. Are you going to paint with oil, watercolor or something else? First you’ll need to get the proper materials, brushes, painting canvas and anything else you might need to create a beautiful piece of art.
Sketch It Out
No matter what medium you plan on using, it helps to sketch it out first. A sketch allows you to make some mistakes until you’re satisfied with your lines. Once you finish your sketch and are happy with what you’ve created, you can move on to the next step.
Work on Your Background
Before painting the animal, you should paint your background. If it’s your first time painting, it might be better to make a static background, such as a single color background. If you’re feeling creative, though, you can try to add details and other interesting elements to your background.
Work on the Eyes
The eyes are the windows to the soul for animals and humans alike! The eyes are going to be one of the most important parts to capture, so don’t be afraid to look up reference photos of the animal you’re painting so you can get as close as possible.
Paint the Fur, Skin or Scales
Once you have the eyes, it’s time to move on to the rest of your animal! Whether they have fur, skin or scales, you’ll want to take your time replicating the texture and look. Furry animals are a good place to start when you’re just beginning to make animal portrait paintings. For fur, you can layer different colors to create texture and depth.
Commission an Animal Portrait Painting
If you have a picture of the animal you’d like a portrait of, you can always commission one online! Just send in your photo, make your requests and wait for your masterpiece to arrive in the mail.
Read a similar article about pet portrait painting here at this page.