Bear Love

Time for some bears...been awhile since I painted these fellows. Technique is a little different from my landscape paintings. First I do a detailed drawing on a white canvas. I then use palette knives to apply thick heavy clear gel ( I'm basically sculpting the fur). I let that completely dry and then tone the canvas with red iron oxide and wipe off the excess. ( so that the drawing still shows through). I'm now ready to paint using brushes! I start with the detailed eyes ( so I don't lose them when I paint all the darks with a large brush). I paint my darkest darks and work lighter in layers eventually using a very soft dry brush to bring out the textures.

'Bear Alert', acrylic 24 x 30 and 'Blue Beary' 36 x 24