Home / Archive by category "Paintings"

Paintings

How to paint fur in acrylics

Posted on by Zara Toms
Painting realistic fur in acrylics Regardless of the animal I am painting I always strive to achieve as much realism as I can. When painting fur this relies on a few things. Layers, contrast and pencil technique are three of the main factors. Without enough layers we cannot build sufficient depth within the fur. Without good contrast the portrait will be flat and two dimensional. The lights and...
Read More

How to blend acrylics

Posted on by Zara Toms
Blending acrylics can be tricky due to the faster drying time but there are 2 must have art supplies that can make this process much easier! I have a voice over tutorial on YouTube showing how the combination of these two cheap tools can not only be used to blend large areas like bokeh backgrounds but also for blending fur. Maybe there is a part of the reference photo where the fur is soft and ou...
Read More

Meet Rex

Posted on by Zara Toms
A very special Staffordshire Bull Terrier I recently had the pleasure of painting Rex this gorgeous, smiley Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Sadly, Rex had a terrible start in life. He was subjected to the horrendous world of dog fighting. Not all these kinds of stories end well but for Rex he was one of the lucky ones. Being adopted by a dog trainer who has literally turned Rex's life around....
Read More

PAINTING FUR IN ACRYLICS

Posted on by Zara Toms
How to paint fur in acrylics? I have just launched my acrylic tier on Patreon. After launching my pastel tier in February this year I have been really excited to offer painting tutorials too. Painting fur can be a challenge but when breaking down your reference photo into layers and smaller more manageable sections it becomes easier, less daunting to tackle.  Each week I upload shorte...
Read More

Base layers with acrylics..

Posted on by Zara Toms
The base layer process with acrylics?  This morning, this video went live on my Patreon. A 30 minute real time voice over showing how I tackle this element of my paintings. One common complaint with acrylics is the fast drying time. I personally love this about acrylics and its what made me swap from oils. In these Patreon videos I speak about how to keep the paint layers wetter for longer. ...
Read More

NEW DRAGONFLY PAINTING

Posted on by Zara Toms
🖌🌷 Fresh off the easel 🌷🖌 I have been working on this acrylic painting during any spare minutes between other portraits. I spent hours finding a photograph I liked. Most Dragonfly photos they're just on bits of stick and I wanted to add something with flowers. As always it's nice to tick another wildlife subject off the list of animals to paint and draw :). A...
Read More

First time painting a Dragonfly…

Posted on by Zara Toms
Background is done ✅ This painting is one that a friend of mine has been asking me to complete for maybe a good two years. Having a couple of days free in between commissions I thought I would make a start on it. For this, I knew I wanted to have a bokeh background. A background which I LOVE. I really like how it can create a magical effect and add extra depth and dimension to the painting...
Read More

NEW ZEBRA PAINTING

Posted on by Zara Toms
🦓🖌 Fresh off the easel! 🖌🦓 Yesterday I finished my first Zebra acrylic painting. I've had a couple of suggestions to paint/draw one of these striped creatures and so pleased I can tick it off my list :). I knew from the start that I wanted to focus on creating that teal bokeh background and have those gorgeous colours reflecting in the stripes making the whol...
Read More

‘HARE – ACRYLIC PAINTING FOR SALE’

Posted on by Zara Toms
🐰🖌 'Hare today, gone tomorrow'🖌🐰 This always reminds me of the things in Spring that make me happy. Seeing the Hares and Rabbits dash across the fields, the daisies starting to emerge as the season gets in full swing. I love capturing movement and this is something I am keen to pursue in future projects I have planned. This Hare that was perfectly captured by...
Read More

‘On the pr-owl’ FOR SALE

Posted on by Zara Toms
🦉🖌 'On the pr-owl' 🖌🦉 I LOVED using the vibrant colours for this Barn Owl painting. The stunning Barn Owl photograph was the perfect pose. I created my own background and foreground for this as I knew I wanted a sunset theme so I then went about adding these colours that would naturally be reflecting on the bird to ensure the entire piece fitted together. ...
Read More
Top