A muley doe pauses at the treeline in Glacier Lake National Park in Montana. This was one of my first encounters with wildlife after leaving Hawaii. Moments like this are like gifts from God and nature.
A gift of pristine wildlife standing still for a portrait at very close range.
Initially, the portrait starts with a pencil sketch drawn from my photograph. I have drawn and painted this image more than once. It is a photograph that I love.
Apply Washes
Next, I begin to wash-in large areas, reaching more for correct values than finished colors. I actually squint my eyes to see where the darks and lights are. The areas kind of blur together and show up better that way. I have been fortunate to have taken classes from talented artists, and one that I have been inspired by is Stan Miller who teaches watercolor and that it is the values that are more important than the colors and he is so right!
Adding sky background and foliage along with some of the dark values to the doe face and eyes starts to show the personality that I envision.
Details
Things slow a bit as I work on the details of the deer. My focus is on the doe features and her background and I am being careful to leave white limbs from the tree behind.
Progress is gradual as I add shadows to show where the tree trunk and limbs are, along with a ground tone wash to bring in a base for her to stand on. It is not good to have her floating above the ground.
Finally, I am getting more done as I add more details. First, some lights followed by some darks. Using an Azo Yellow, I am carefully applying the final wash. The whole painting is brightened up with the final wash and the greenery and her fur now have a much better glow.
Here she is, je suis fini! A watercolor painting of a Glacier Lake National Park Muley Doe posing for the artist with her camera in the summer of 1990. Check out the beauty in this park. The picture was taken in the park at the top of Logan’s Pass.