Lion:

Jan was selected as the second premier artist for SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL'S annual - "Conservation Artist of the Year" program. The program was started last year with a painting by John Banovich. SCI chapters with qualifying conservation projects, through SCI's DC office, are eligible for the giclee print, which they can use for their banquet auctions for fund raising. This new "What's on the Easel now" shows the painting - "Simba Shadows" that Jan is doing for the special program. The original will be auctioned at SCI's convention in Reno in January 2008.

Jan and James lead annual photographic/natural history tours to Kenya. They have had lots of opportunities to study and photograph lions. In the first picture you can see James (with the camera to his face) with part of the group photographing one of the members of the pride of lions on a zebra kill. The second photo shows Jan with her group observing lions - she is in the white shirt sitting inside the vehicle getting a lower angle to photograph.

Jan has painted a purpley brown base coat over the entire painting surface. She has then "blocked" out the four lions using an artist's masking fluid and saranwrap. This is because she is wants the area where the lions are going to be to remain absolutely "pure" after she has done the background dirt area.

Here Jan has done the initial work on the dirt in the foreground and background, starting to establish light and shadows which is the essence of the painting. She has also begun blocking in the trees, and acacia tangles that the lions are lying under. She as also removed the masking materials from the lions revealing the outline of the group of animals.

This photo shows Jan transferring her drawing from the tracing paper onto the painting surface using a white artist transfer paper.

In this photo the drawing has been transferred to all the lions and work has started on the tree.

The male lion is now "drawn" out in off white paint. While the main purpose is to detail the hair, Jan is also starting to delineate the light and shadows.

Here the unifying brown wash is done over the male lion.

This is a photo that was taken to be used in the SCI registration brochure. It is Jan with the painting in progress - the male lion is done and the middle lioness is almost done.

The male lion and middle lioness are now done and the front lioness and fallen stick lying in front of her has the under "drawing" with the off white paint.

The unifying brown wash is now done on the front lioness.

The front lioness is now completed and some of the foreground grasses, weeds and twigs have been started.

Working on the final lioness now - the underpainting "drawing" has been done.

A closeup shot of the back lioness with a unifying brown wash.

Here is the finished painting "SIMBA SHADOWS" for SCI's Conservation Artist of the year. The original will be auctioned at the SCI convention in January. If you are a member of SCI check out the story on Jan in the July/August issue on page 88.

Click here for framed image.