Kudu:

Jan is getting ready to do her big auction donation for DSC. She has decided on kudu - arguably one of the most spectacular antelope in Africa. Originally she was just going to do the male, but decided a female would add interest. Here is the drawing done to size. Note: it looks purple because the drawing is laying over the already primed board which has a purplish gesso on it.

After looking at the drawing, Jan decided that it needed another female kudu. There is a guideline in painting that says that odd numbers are more interesting than even. So Jan feels it will balance out better. To decide where she wants to place the other cow she does a couple of "cutouts" of two different positions and places them on the drawing to decide which she likes better.

This is the first idea she tried.	This is the second cut out Jan tried. She liked this idea much better and so then traced this cutout onto the master drawing.

Jan has elected to cover the entire painting area with a warm orange/yellow. She was pleased with the past buffalo painting (BULL IN A BUSH) that she had done the same thing on, so she decided to do it again. It seems to create a very warm glow throughout the painting and helps to capture the quality of the light in Africa. You can see some of the reference photos on the left that she will be using for background. When she and James are out in the field she is always taking lots of photos of habitat - grass, bushes etc. that can be used later in paintings.

Jan works from back to front - doing the far off tree line and grasses first.

Jan is now doing the bushes that are behind the kudu. To capture the look of an acacia branch she is using her "rake" brush - the one that is flat but has hairs missing every few places. She turns it sideways and "dabs" which creates very realistic looking acacia leaves

In this photo Jan has completed the background bushes. She transferred the drawing of the kudus on top of it and has now painted them in the same purplish gesso that the painting surface is primed in.

Jan has used the artist masking fluid to cover up the areas on the kudus she doesn't want to paint grass over. Here she is working on the grass behind them. Notice how she is using a splayed out brush to create the clumps of grass. It's the same principle she uses with hair coats - she paints "areas" not individual grass.

The grass behind the kudus is now complete, as well as some foreground grass. The masking material has been removed in preparation of beginning work on the kudu.

Jan is transferring the drawing of the left female kudu using white artist transfer paper.

Jan has begun work on the left female kudu. Since the animal is so slick coated she is not doing her "drawing" hair technique, but rather doing layers of washes to build up the muscles, color and hair texture. Notice the reference photo taped to the painting that she is working from.

In this photo both of the cows are completed, and Jan has begun work on the bull. Jan likes to get the face done first, especially the eyes so that she has the most important element - the "essence" of life - accomplished.

The rest of the body of the male kudu has been started, paying attention to the anatomy and light.

This is the completed painting "GRAY GHOST" 24 x 36. This will be auctioned at DSC convention in January. Taking orders for 2 sizes of Giclée prints now!