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Young Bull Elephant Demo's

Working in Acrylic to Oils

Just click on the first image to start the demo or click on any image to go to that stage of the demo.

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Photo	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5

I love painting in oils. Watercolours are great too, they need more careful control. Acrylics I'm still learning and enjoying the different tactics and styles, Acrylics works similar to oils when used thick and watercolour when thin, so you have the best of both mediums.

	Bull Elephant Photo Choosing a subject to paint is hard, it will become easier as you gain more experience. I am based in South Wales of the United kingdom so I searched the internet for my subjects. I selected this photo of a charging bull elephant. He is a short stocky character and the contrast of lights and darks is great. I intend to put my own greyish colours on Shorty with a different background. Next Top Home
	Bull Elephant Demo With a canvas already primed with a thin coat of acrylic (yellow ochre water base paint) which has dried, I started to sketch the image from the photo using a wash (watered down paint) of acrylic burnt umber. I'm happy with the sketch. The head is slightly large but I'll deal with that later. Next Previous Top Home
	Bull Elephant Demo With the sketch dry I add the dark (raw umber with a touch of ultramarine blue) and lights (add white) areas, this give me an idea of the image I'm trying to achieve. I'm still using acrylics as they dry within 30 minutes. Next Previous Top Home
	Bull Elephant Demo Now I'm using oil paints First I cover the area I'm going to work on with a thin glaze of paint medium (a mix of liquin & Refined linseed oil, about 50/50) I dry brush (wipe the brush in a rag for dry brushing) the glazed area to remove the access glaze. Now I have a slightly slippery area to work on, this helps the brush strokes. I brush a dark mix (raw umber and ultramarine blue) to the left ear and leg. Then I dry brush this to remove, blend and smooth the paint, with white added to the mix I put in some medium highlights using a dry brush to blend, add some dark mix back in and blend with a dry brush. I change the dark mix with a bit more blue and white and put in the shadows to the left side of the face using dark and lights for the details. A lighter mix for the head and trunk, blending with a dry brush and adding some detail. Next Previous Top Home
	Bull Elephant Demo I finish off the blending to the rest of Shorty and do some finer detail using a smaller brush and dry brushing. I narrow the head area above the tusk line. I start to put in some of the background. I think Shorty is protecting his small family so I add mother and will add a small calf. A tree will help give distance. I'll keep the long grass idea from the photo. Next Previous Top Home
	Bull Elephant Demo I finish off the background and the tusks of Shorty and add the baby. I sign the painting but its not quite finished yet. At this stage I decided to leave it hanging on my wall. Now every time I pass the painting fresh ideas will come to me and I'll write them down. Fresh Ideas More high lights need to be added and a thin glaze of dark colour here and there. A bit of broken bark to the trees will add some interest. An indication of a eye to the calf. Some slight detail to mother. Previous Top Home

	Young Bull Elephant Photo Choosing a subject to paint is hard but will become easier as you gain more experience. I am base in South Wales of the United kingdom so I searched the internet for my subject and selected this photo of a young bull elephant. I turn the photo so he's facing to our left. He is a young confident character with plenty of detail. I intend to put my own greyish colours with a hint of blue and may be green. Next Top Home
	Young Bull Elephant Demo With a canvas already primed with a thin coat of acrylic (yellow ochre water base paint) which has dried, I started to sketch the image from the photo using a wash (watered down paint) of acrylic burnt umber. I'm happy with the sketch. Next Previous Top Home
	Young Bull Elephant Demo With the sketch dry I add the shadows (burnt umber with a touch of ultramarine blue and a hint of sap green & cad red ) and lights areas (add white), this give me an idea of the colours I'm trying to achieve. I'm still using acrylics as they dry within 30 minutes. Next Previous Top Home
	Young Bull Elephant Demo Now I'm using oil paints 1st I cover the area I'm going to work on with a thin glaze of paint medium (a mix of liquin & Refined linseed oil, about 50/50) I dry brush (wipe the brush in a rag for dry brushing) the glazed area to remove the access glazed. Now I have a slightly slippery area to work on, this helps the brush strokes. I brush a shadow mix (burnt umber and ultramarine blue) to the left ear, body and back legs. I dry brush this area to remove and smooth the paint, with white added to the mix I put in some medium highlights using a dry brush to blend, add some shadow mix back in and blend with a dry brush. I change the shadow mix with a hint of cad red and sap green. I start the shadows to the left side of the face using a darker shadow. A lighter mix for the top of the head. Next Previous Top Home
	Young Bull Elephant Demo I carry on with more detail to the rest of the image adding a hint of red and green here and there. The trunk detail takes some time but is worth the effect. I think this young bull Elephant is showing off so I've decided to create a back ground mainly of dust from his fake charge. Next Previous Top Home
	Young Bull Elephant Demo With the sky nice a blue I put in a hint of bush in the back ground with the foreground mostly dust. I'm happy with the finish of this painting but will still hang it on my studio wall before I sell it. I will look at it now and then just in case some ideas come to me, then sell. Previous Top Home