See How You Can Paint Wildlife Portraits With Spirit

Wildlife Paintings from the studio of Kat Davies

What is art with soul?

From the earliest images of cave paintings
showing the pure energy and spirit of survival of a deer hunt, to the famous biblical legend of Noah’s Ark, to modern cartoons such as the Lion King, images of wildlife art are everywhere and have been since time immemorial.  Animal imagery seems to stimulate a primal link humans have with the Earth and the creatures with which we share it.

Wildlife art with soul often evokes a deep emotional feeling and carries the natural essence of the animal.  It is much more than an exercise in photo-realism – it goes further than a photograph, to encapsulate the very spirit of the wildlife it portrays, it can go beyond any artistic style and perhaps artistic ability.  A novice artist can paint animal art with soul as effectively as a seasoned professional, particularly when noting the following five points common to the most beautiful animal paintings.

Eyes that shine.

Known as the “windows to the soul”. They have to contain a glimpse of life and show a characteristic, particular mood or a recognisable reaction to a moment in the life of the animal subject.  Check out the cat artwork by talented wildlife artist Kat Davies to see shining examples of big cat eyes in her collection of leopard, tiger and lion art.

Colour and texture.

Recreate the texture of the pelt as exactly as possible to reproduce the image of long, soft, short, coarse, straight, curly, or spiky hairs.  Skin can be pink, black, blue, green, wrinkled or smooth, partially transparent where the light shows through, scaly and dry or damp such as the nose or the rims around the eyes. Add the vital little signs of life!

An interesting background

The background can evoke atmosphere, drama and nostalgia.  For examples, study the superb works of Robert Bateman to see how evocative natural backgrounds might improve your wildlife art and bring your animal subject to life.

The lighting

Dramatic lighting gives life to work. Imagine sunlight filtering through the mane of a lion, or the cold reflected light on the flanks of a polar bear.  The cool hints of shadow and the warm tones of sunlight put your animal in the ever-changing cycle of nature from day to night, season to season and give a sense of changing time, climate and weather.

A story

A bold background will help a picture to ‘tell a story’.  Quite often the viewer of the artwork might imagine an ending for themselves and actively engage with the painting. Look at the wildlife paintings of John Seerey-Lester, especially those of his historic hunts, to see story-telling in art.

Whether painting ‘cute and furry’ animals such as cubs, kittens and puppies, the vicious or romantic wild including the Big Five, animals in the field of hunting or sport, birds in the garden or even the cherished family pet portrait, bear in mind that memorable animal art is animal art with soul.

If you would like to see stunning examples of wildlife art  then have a look at www.katdavies.com. There is an extensive range of these and other works, and is particularly interesting if you are looking for a painting of your pets.