Watercolor on Aquaboard
21 06, 12 Filed in: Watercolor
| Our main focus on our trip to India was to see Tigers. So I wanted to paint some of the amazing tigers we saw on our trip. I decided to work in watercolor on Aquaboard. My subject was a big male tiger that we saw in Bandhavgarh. This tiger was a real beauty, without scars and marks from fighting! He also did not seem to mind all the attention he was getting from the tourists, as he allowed us to stay near him for more than an hour. | |
| Starting with one of our photos for reference, I penciled in my preliminary drawing of the tiger's face. | 
|
| I drew in the major details, but with watercolor, you have to allow for some spontaneity. As I've noted previously, this surface allows you to make subtle changes to colors and is forgiving when corrections need to be made. | 
|
| I painted in the dark stripes first, so I could see the structure and curve of the face. I then worked on the nose, and eyes to capture the essence of this male tiger. Aquabord allows paint to be lifted off, so fine lines for hairs (such as in the ears) could be made in areas already painted. I also used some white gouache to make some of the whiskers and chin hairs. | 
|