Things You'll Need:
- Acrylic paints
- Paint brushes
- Canvas
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Step 1
Start with a sketch of the wildlife you plan to paint. This is used as a reference so you can keep the details limited. If you're painting a scene, sketch in the landscape as well. You may find it helpful to use a photograph as a reference point or as a projection to help with proportions.
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Step 2
Paint the background first. With acrylic paints, you can use water to thin out the paint and blend colors. Even if you want a solid background, you should use a mixture of two paints close in color. This gives your painting a more professional look and adds tone to it. Some scenes require you to block the background based on your sketch.
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Step 3
Build layers when you paint fur. You create fur that looks full and soft by blending the colors of the fur and allowing your paint to dry completely. Paint additional layers varying the areas of lighter and darker fur on each layer. Use your brush to create strokes in the direction of the fur.
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Step 4
Focus on the wildlife in the foreground of your painting. Animals in the background should have less detail and should merely suggest the presence of other wildlife. You can use a wash created by adding more water to your paint to cover over less important animals as a way to blend them into your background.
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Step 5
Give yourself time to experiment. There are very few artists who create a perfect animal painting the first time they try. Be patient and try various techniques to find out which one works the best for you. You can also create abstract wildlife and enjoy the process of painting wildlife from your own personal interpretation.
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Step 6
Refer to step-by-step demonstrations. Creative Spotlite's website hosts demonstrations from different wildlife artists. You can also use books like "Keys to Painting: Fur and Feathers" by Rachel Rubin Wolf which is available online at Amazon.
