Liz Chaderton

Artists seem compelled to try to capture the amazing variety of the animal kingdom; the challenge remains how to breathe energy into your paintings and make the animals jump off the paper. This deeply practical book offers an accessible introduction to sketching animals from life, to try to capture that essence. It gives instruction on how to approach drawing; covers ideas for materials and supplies to make sketching from life a joy; gives step-by-step demonstrations of different watercolor techniques; offers specific advice on using color and painting, fur, feathers and features and gives ideas for mixed-media experimentation. Full of colorful examples and guidance, this new book explains how to transform your studies into finished artwork that are brimming with character. It encourages you to find the extraordinary in the everyday, as well as reveling in the breadth of nature. Taking a contemporary approach to traditional watercolor, the author shows how a few, well-chosen brushes of paint can reveal the soul of your subject.