On reflection

Red squirrel at Barhill Wood, Kirkcudbright

Inspiration / Story

My inspiration for a painting usually starts when I am out walking in nature with my camera.  The inspiration came for this one and I had taken plenty of photos of squirrels at Barhill Wood in Kirkcudbright, but then Mick (@mprwild) showed me his! The challenge was to draw the same squirrel, twice in the same picture, with once being upside down!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Process Description

It was an excellent photo taken by Mick. First the outline went down as usual. Next step was to put the underlayer in for the squirrel and its reflection. Then some background, more layers to create depth and the final finishing details on the top.

Materials Used

With a pastel painting, I start with a sketch and a base layer, then build up the picture with layer upon layer of different shades, refinements and detail.