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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MEET JASPER

Posted on by Zara Toms
Jasper Jasper is one of the latest dogs fresh off my easel. Sadly, no longer with us and his family miss him dearly. Loosing them is the worst part about sharing life with them but they provide so many wonderful memories for us to cherish. When I am asked to capture peoples much loved pets I want to capture that pet not just a Jack Russell.  I spend days, sometimes weeks on a single portrai...
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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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HOW TO DRAW A YELLOW LABRADOR

Posted on by Zara Toms
DRAWING A YELLOW LABRADOR IN PASTELS Yellow Labradors vary considerably. The colours I use for one may be different for another so it will fall down to the individual reference photograph you're working on. An eye dropper tool can really help to pin point which colour you should be using but the most important thing over colour is contrast. Having the lights and darks accurate will make the most ...
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2 NEW TUTORIALS THIS WEEKEND

Posted on by Zara Toms
BUSY, BUSY, BUSY I'm uploading as much content as I can to my Patreon channel. At the moment it's 1 video for each tier every week! That's a lot of content :D This weekend we have... > How to draw a black and white cat in pastels.. AND > How to paint a Pheasant in acrylics.  Drawing black and white fur can be challenging. White fur was one of the more difficult elements I found ...
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HOW TO DRAW A TREE

Posted on by Zara Toms
HOW TO DRAW A TREE IN PASTELS I was asked to create a tutorial showing how to draw a tree. I thought this was a great element for a focus tutorial and over the weekend the 1.5 hour real time tutorial was uploaded to my Patreon channel. I also have a time-lapse version with voice over on my YouTube channel. Just like every tutorial regardless of the subject, topic or medium I am working in I al...
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I DRAW PEOPLE TO :)

Posted on by Zara Toms
Although I don't advertise it as such, when asked I do draw people to. My first couple of graphite portraits was of family members and once I was confident in capturing skin tones and textures I accepted people commissions. More recently I have been drawing people in colour using pastels. Both graphite and pastels work well but obviously create very different looks. Some reference photos shout for...
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🏞✏ My first landscape ✏🏞

Posted on by Zara Toms
🏞✏ My first landscape ✏🏞 After having a few requests to make a tutorial of a landscape drawing I didn't realise how much I'd enjoy creating it. I have wanted to tackle something like this for a couple of years but always ended up drawing or painting a wildlife subject instead.   The photograph I chose for this drawing was one that demonstrated s...
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