AUTOGRAPHS

Learn How Artists Paint Wildlife Paintings With True Soul Character

What exactly is art with soul?

From prehistoric images of cave drawings
depicting the sheer spirit of survival and energy of a deer hunt, to the famous biblical parable of Noah’s Ark, to modern cartoons like the Lion King, animals in art are all around us and have been since time immemorial.  Animal imagery appears to stimulate a instinctive connection we have with the Earth and the animals with which we share it.

Animal art with soul usually provokes an intense emotional response and bears the raw essence of the animal.  It is much more than an exercise in photo-realism – it goes deeper than a photograph, to capture the very nature of the wildlife it portrays, it can transcend any artistic style and even artistic ability.  A beginner can paint animal art with soul as effectively as a seasoned professional artist, particularly when taking notice of the following five points common to the most beautiful wildlife art.

Eyes that shine.

Referred to as the “windows to the soul”. They have to contain a glimpse of life and reveal a characteristic, mood or an identifiable reaction to a moment in the life of the animal subject.  Check out the cat artwork by acclaimed artist Kat Davies to see illuminating examples of big cat eyes in her range of tiger, lion and leopard paintings.

Texture and colour.

Re-create the texture of fur as accurately as possible to reproduce the feeling of long, soft, short, coarse, straight, curly, or spiky hairs.  Skin might be pink, blue, black, green, wrinkled or smooth, semi transparent where the light shows through, scaly and dry or moist like the nose or the rims around the eyes. Add the vital little spark of life!

An interesting background

The background can create atmosphere, drama and nostalgia.  For examples, study the superb works of Robert Bateman to see how evocative natural backgrounds might enhance your wildlife art and bring your animal subject to life.

The lighting

Dramatic lighting gives life to work. Think of sunlight filtering through the mane of a lion, or the cold reflected light on the flanks of a polar bear.  The cool hints of shadow and the warm tones of sunlight put your animal in the constantly changing cycle of nature from day to night, season to season and give a sense of changing climate, time and weather.

A story

A bold background will help a picture to ‘tell a story’.  Often the viewer of the picture can dream up an ending for themselves and actively connect with the painting. See the wildlife paintings of John Seerey-Lester, particularly those of his historic hunts, to see story-telling in art.

Whether painting ‘cute and furry’ animals such as puppies, kittens and cubs, the harsh or romantic wild including the Big Five, animals in the field of hunting or sport, garden birds or even the cherished family pet portrait, keep in mind that memorable animal art is animal art with soul.

If you would like to see stunning examples of cheetah art  then have a look at katdavies.com. There is an extensive range of these and other works, and is particularly interesting if you are looking for pet portraits.

Mississippi ~Benjy Davis Project

Olivia $5.97 Eyes rimmed with smoky charcoal liner, lips glossed to a porcelain sneer, Olivia–the first artist to be signed to Clive Davis’s J Records–fronts like she’s hip-hop hard and soul-singer soft on the cover photo of her eponymous debut. Luckily for her, the music biz is all about image these days, since there’s not much to back up her posturing on this collection of ho-hum titillaters. The 20-y…

Autograph – Zulu & the Zayda (Broadway Original Cast Lp, 1965) Harold Rome Signed LP 1965 BROADWAY ORIGINAL CAST LP WITH MUSIC BY HOWARD DA SILVA & FELIX LEON. STARRED MENASHA SKULNIK, OSSIE DAVIS, LOUIS GOSSETT, JOE SILVER, SARAH CUNNINGHAM, JOHN PLESHETTE, PHILIP VANDERVORT.original Masterworks pressing KOL6480 First Mono LP Signed By Harold Rome with a dedication on rear liner. Original Cast-”The Zulu & The Zayda”(Columbia 6480)-LP. This original soundtrack Lp was released in 1…

A League of Their Own $4.54 Crowd-pleasing comedy-drama with Geena Davis and Lori Petty as sisters from Oregon who become rivals when they join an all-woman’s baseball league during World War II. Coaching the team is alcoholic former player Tom Hanks, and also on his team are the flirtatious Madonna and brassy Rosie O’Donnell. Jon Lovitz and Garry Marshall also star; Penny Marshall directs. 127 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: …

Looney Tunes: Golden Collection, Vol. 2 $13.98 Direct from Termite Terrace, it’s 60 more classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies! This four-disc set offers animation fans installments with Bugs Bunny (“The Big Snooze,” “Hare Conditioned,” “Slick Hare,” “Baby Buggy Bunny,” and more); the Road Runner and friends (“Beep, Beep,” “Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z,” “The Dover Boys,” “Mouse Wreckers,” and more); Tweety and Sylvester and friends (“Bad Ol’ Puddy…

Stargate SG-1 Season 1 Boxed Set $19.85 Hollywood’s film archives overflow with the carcasses of dismal movies based on lame ’60s and ’70s television shows, a syndrome that shows no sign of abating. But here’s evidence that the reverse effect, turning a movie into a TV series, can have surprisingly positive results. Indeed, based on the 21 episodes produced for the first season of Stargate SG-1, it could be argued that this show is sign…

20 Varied 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Art Greeting Cards Signed by the Artist and Suitable For Framing by Diane Davis Designs – Dancers Collection 20 varied art greeting cards with matching envelopes featuring original designs by Diane Davis. These are fine art cards, hand signed by the cards designer, Diane Davis. The cards are printed on heavy, soft-textured card stock, meant to be kept and cherished, and suitable for framing. Each card comes in a cellophane sleeve, and can be easily slipped into a standard 9″ x 12″ mat or frame. Inside…

4-Pack 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Art Greeting Cards Signed by the Artist and Suitable For Framing by Diane Davis Designs – And The Beat Goes On 4 art greeting card with matching envelopes featuring an original design by Diane Davis. These are fine art cards hand signed by the card’s designer, Diane Davis. The cards are printed on heavy, soft-textured card stock, meant to be kept and cherished, and suitable for framing. They come individually wrapped in cellophane sleeves, and can be easily slipped into a standard 9″ x 12″ mat or frame. …

4-Pack 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 Art Greeting Cards Signed by the Artist and Suitable For Framing by Diane Davis Designs – Bow Legged Woman 4 art greeting card with matching envelopes featuring an original design by Diane Davis. These are fine art cards hand signed by the card’s designer, Diane Davis. The cards are printed on heavy, soft-textured card stock, meant to be kept and cherished, and suitable for framing. They come individually wrapped in cellophane sleeves, and can be easily slipped into a standard 9″ x 12″ mat or frame. …

Star Wars Hand Signed Autographed Photo of WARWICK DAVIS as WEAZEL from The Phantom Menace – from the Star Wars Celebration II Convention $25.00 Warwick Davis Weazel Signed Autographed Photo. This is an original “Hand Signed” authentic autographed photo of Weazel from Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace, signed by actor Warwick Davis from the Star Wars Celebration II Convention. Each 8″ x 10″ photo includes an original numbered Certificate of Authenticity, and a special Star Wars Celebration II Black Photo Folder (Both originally sol…

Signed #22 Scott Wimmer Caterpillar Bill Davis ’03 NASCAR Racing Team Pit Crew Mobile Toolbox 4×3 x 1 1/4 $19.95 Nascar SIGNED Scott Wimmer 4″x3″x1 1/4″ Pit Crew Toolbox Trailer #22 2003…