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Hints & Tips

BUSTER THE BULLDOG!

Posted on by Zara Toms
I currently have the largest pet portrait on my easel I've been asked to do to date! I am LOVING working on such a large scale. It's allowing me to add so much more details and achieve far more realism than I've created before. Due to that I'm going to be planning some larger portraits for upcoming tutorials on Patreon :). Showing the tips and techniques I use to take your artwork to the next leve...
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HOW TO PAINT FUR IN ACRYLICS

Posted on by Zara Toms
10 TOP TIPS FOR PAINTING FUR IN ACRYLICS A couple of weeks ago I shared my top tips for drawing fur with pastels. Well, this week it's in acrylics. All of these tips are what I use when creating any of my pet portraits or wildlife paintings. These tips can make a huge difference in the depth created within the fur and therefore the realism of the overall piece.  If you'd like to see this vi...
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TOP TIPS FOR DRAWING FUR IN PASTELS

Posted on by Zara Toms
6 TIPS TO DRAWING REALISTIC FUR IN PASTELS This month I uploaded my 6 top tips for drawing fur in pastels. For those of you who also paint in acrylics these tips are also relevant to painting BUT with the exception of the last tip. Tip 6 I speak about how with lighter coloured dogs like yellow Labradors I will usually work in the opposite from light to dark HOWEVER with acrylics we don't have to ...
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How to draw a Springer Spaniel in pastels

Posted on by Zara Toms
My latest tutorial uploaded to YouTube was a timelapse of Dod's portrait I completed in 2020. Click the thumbnail below to head over to YouTube and watch it now :).  I have slower, in depth tutorials available on my Patreon. Tiers for pastel and acrylics with a combined tier for those of you like me who enjoy working in multiple mediums :). On my website here, I have a Patreon library with...
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HUMMINGBIRD IN FINISHED

Posted on by Zara Toms
I have loved working on this drawing. I was asked to make a tutorial on how to draw iridescent feathers and straight away I knew I wanted to draw a Hummingbird.   I regularly post public posts to my Patreon with tips and techniques for the projects I'm currently working on. You don't have to be a member to see these posts so if these are of interest click here :)   In these posts I...
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HUMMINGBIRD ON THE EASEL..

Posted on by Zara Toms
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE COLOURS I was asked by a Patreon member to create a pastel tutorial focusing on iridescent feathers. I immediately wanted to draw either a Hummingbird or Kingfisher and after looking for reference photos settled on this. I have added a completely different background adding even more colour and a bit of a magical feel.  This first update shows the background and I decid...
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HOW TO PAINT SHORT, BLACK FUR

Posted on by Zara Toms
HOW TO PAINT SHORT, BLACK FUR IN ACRYLICS When painting black fur like this I typically work from dark to light. Numerous layers which will build depth and therefore more realism in the finished painting. Like always, I want to focus on my contrast and values. Ensuring my highlights are bright and shadows are dark. That will capture the sheen on the coat typically seen on Black Labradors.&nbs...
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CHRISTMAS TUTORIALS :D

Posted on by Zara Toms
I'm always busy working with pet portrait commissions and Patreon tutorials. Last weekend I uploaded the Christmas themed tutorials to Patreon - a 'Drawing a Christmas puppy' and 'how to paint a Robin'. Both also available as shorter tutorials on YouTube. Click the thumbnails below to head over to watch them now :)           In these YouTube videos I sh...
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HOW TO PAINT A DOG NOSE IN ACRYLICS

Posted on by Zara Toms
- How to paint a dog nose in acrylics - When I added my acrylic tier to my Patreon in October this dog nose study was one of the tutorials immediately available. Dog noses are a fundamental element of any pet portrait so it's vital that they are accurate. In this tutorial I show how I tackle dog noses from the base layers to the final details.  Click this thumbnail to watch the tutorial...
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MEET RONNIE

Posted on by Zara Toms
'Meet Ronnie' Fresh off the easel last week was Ronnie the German Shepherd. This portrait required a lot of variation in pencil details to capture all the textures within his fur. I had to start with rich base layers to make sure I captured his beautiful warm colouring within his fur. I used PanPastels for his base layers and that worked really well for the colours I was looking to recreate.&...
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