Kudu:

This is part of the commission deal Jan is doing for DORADO EXPLORATION in Dallas. It will be of a Greater Kudu.

Jan saw and photographed many kudu when she was in Zimbabwe. This photo is from that trip. She is painting in the field with her scout Trust. While animals don't hang out to be painted, painting in the field is good artistic exercise in painting landscapes to help an artist look at a three dimensional scene and render it in a two dimensional format. Trust is holding a rifle to protect Jan from elephants while painting.

Since this is a commission, Jan did a sketch with a written description that she submitted to Don and Penny Schmidt of Dorado Exploration to approve.

Here is the drawing done to scale from the sketch, ready to transfer to the painting surface. Some of the reference photos Jan is working from can be seen at the left. The large one is a kudu at a zoo which Jan will be using for some details, the top one is one Jan took in Zimbabwe which is the main "theme" of the painting with the shadows and fallen tree in the foreground, and the bottom is a trophy photo with Penny and her kudu.

It is a little difficult to see in this photo, but the blue sky has been painted in the top half of the painting. The kudu is blocked in with dark brown paint, and then has been masked off with artist masking fluid and cellophane.

Here the far off tree line is done. The middle trees are blocked in and the grass has been started.

In this photo the masking materials have been removed from the kudu and the drawing has been transferred using white artist transfer paper. The far mopane trees have been completed and the fallen log in front is blocked in.

Here Jan has literally "drawn" the hair coat in on the kudu with an off white paint. She has started to delineate the shadows on his body as well.

A unifying brown wash is done over the kudu.

Here is the finished painting - it is 11 x 14 and is entitled "CROWNED PRINCE".