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Artwork (Traditional) / All
Species Cervine (Other)
Size 802 x 1080
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More from Kalahari
A mixed media piece for an art friend who's been pretty amazing -- a great guy to chat about creative pursuits with. I pushed myself a little harder to get the moss more believable, and I've got thedancingemu's work to thank for the inspiration there (her watercolor environments are incredible).
Watercolor, gouache, colored marker, gel pen, and ink on 9x12" hotpress board.
Oh yeah, and there's a bunch of WIPs on my tumblr
Watercolor, gouache, colored marker, gel pen, and ink on 9x12" hotpress board.
Oh yeah, and there's a bunch of WIPs on my tumblr
Category Artwork (Traditional) / All
Species Cervine (Other)
Size 802 x 1080px
File Size 1.97 MB
The WIPs on tumblr were wonderful to see! And holy cow this is gorgeous scenery. I can see where thedancingemu inspired you! Ferns and moss are always nice in a wooded environment. It's like something straight out of a story book. Truly incredible stuff you create! Amazing!
I think all the deer at my place act this way :)
I think all the deer at my place act this way :)
The background on this is just fantastic! The moss is really beautifully done, and I love the broken down old brick wall that's still just poking out of the wilderness. It lends the piece a rather nostalgic feel, as of a lost city, or maybe just the site where a house once stood, and where there's nothing now but wilderness. It's a bit melancholy but adds so much to the scene, I think. The characters are really lovely as well, and I find myself very intrigued by the sharp contrast between the buck's rather sullen, surly expression and the bright, happy look on the doe's face. I get the impression she's trying to cheer him up, but maybe not having the best luck at it just yet. Whatever the case, they make a really cute pair, and I quite like the red wrap around her shoulders and the size difference between them. You really have done such an amazing job with this!
Thanks, Megan! Something's definitely going on here, but it may not be so dramatic. Maybe something kind of listless and personal, and I wanted the uncertainty of it all to get reflected in the finished scene. It took a lot of experimenting to get them posed the way I liked, and the size difference is a lot of fun (though pretty easy in this one, since they're just sitting next to each other). I'd love to try some less ornate backgrounds soon and just work on getting the watercolor greenery looking good in smaller projects :)
Your art is very inspiring too! I've found that I lately prefer to draw dragons and monsters instead of furry stuff but I gotta give props to traditional artists who draw anything on this level. I don't like that this fandom has gotten so saturated with digital art when some of the best art to have ever come out of the fandom has been traditional.
It was heavily traditional when I got into the fandom. There's no denying digital media are more versatile, but there's an essential quality to work on paper that I love. And as frenetic as watercolor painting can get, the real thing just can't be simulated digitally in a way I like.
Wonderfully done piece! I love your watercoloring skills, and the lighting is fabulous!
I can imagine a cool story to explain why the buck looks so downcast while sitting next to such a delightful and upbeat doe. He must have a good reason, because I think she could improve anyone's mood.
I can imagine a cool story to explain why the buck looks so downcast while sitting next to such a delightful and upbeat doe. He must have a good reason, because I think she could improve anyone's mood.
Goodness, me, this is a gorgeous piece! The lighting and contrasting watercolor greens accentuate the young couple flawlessly, and the physical contrast between the two adds to the implied emotion of the scene.
There are so many stories here just waiting to be told. There’s no indication of “civilization”, yet the ruined wall and her scarf/shawl imply more than complete wildness. The moss says that this place is not currently inhabited, but they seem comfortable in their environment and their own fur, so perhaps camping/squatting/hiking is what they are used to. Could this be a snapshot of:
A couple who have opted to live simple lives close to nature, alone and self-sufficient?
Refugees of a soft apocalypse trying to thrive in the relatively safe wilds?
Two lovers meeting in secret for a tryst, and confronting the complexities behind their relationship in their secret hideaway?
This is why we are always desperate for more from you. Good luck.
There are so many stories here just waiting to be told. There’s no indication of “civilization”, yet the ruined wall and her scarf/shawl imply more than complete wildness. The moss says that this place is not currently inhabited, but they seem comfortable in their environment and their own fur, so perhaps camping/squatting/hiking is what they are used to. Could this be a snapshot of:
A couple who have opted to live simple lives close to nature, alone and self-sufficient?
Refugees of a soft apocalypse trying to thrive in the relatively safe wilds?
Two lovers meeting in secret for a tryst, and confronting the complexities behind their relationship in their secret hideaway?
This is why we are always desperate for more from you. Good luck.
I think in this way I'm rewarded for not giving too much exposition. If no questions could be asked about the picture then where's the fun :) As absolutely simple as it is, I spent a lot of time on character design; the earlier practice with drawing deer helps, but I wanted the two of them to be unique enough in their own right, at least for this scene.
This also rekindled my love of watercolor. I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with natural environment painting...
This also rekindled my love of watercolor. I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere with natural environment painting...
Don't think I forgot about this picture. I simply didn't have any time to comment on it.
It's quite impressive to be able to use those watercolors in a controlled way. And they certainly do work there to make a background. I guess the emergent texture (from salt?) helps to keep the washes of colors non-uniform. Or are all these little dots hand-made? Also, I'm surprised how many other techniques were used here. Is gouache more controllable than watercolor?
Another thing I always notice is the usage of light. It's really cool with all those inter-reflections from the environment, such as the greenish tint from the ground.
The cervines there are clearly in the middle of some emotionally charged situation, and there's some story definitely going on. Do I see it right, that she's secretly poking him with her hoof?
It's quite impressive to be able to use those watercolors in a controlled way. And they certainly do work there to make a background. I guess the emergent texture (from salt?) helps to keep the washes of colors non-uniform. Or are all these little dots hand-made? Also, I'm surprised how many other techniques were used here. Is gouache more controllable than watercolor?
Another thing I always notice is the usage of light. It's really cool with all those inter-reflections from the environment, such as the greenish tint from the ground.
The cervines there are clearly in the middle of some emotionally charged situation, and there's some story definitely going on. Do I see it right, that she's secretly poking him with her hoof?
Gouache is much more controllable, which is a welcome change after trying to get watercolor to behave in finely detailed spots! All the textured dots in the background are indeed from salt, and I applied some gouache over it on the moss. Salt is wonderful for the larger washes, to force some emergent textures.
Apologies if the story isn't clear, but I love doing that in my scenes just to get the viewer's interest ;) And yes, she's just barely giving him an encouraging nudge.
Apologies if the story isn't clear, but I love doing that in my scenes just to get the viewer's interest ;) And yes, she's just barely giving him an encouraging nudge.
Oooh you are such a stellar thing!! This invokes so much emotion in me, I know it isn't ...likely the situation. But I see a concerned Mother and a stubborn stag. The atmosphere is so lovely and vivacious! Everything *POPS* and I absolutely love how they have a source of light joined behind their heads, much like a bloom from a halo.
Thank you for unleashing such a spectacle into the world, forgive me for taking so long to see it!
Thank you for unleashing such a spectacle into the world, forgive me for taking so long to see it!
Thanks, very happy you like this one! It's one of my more ambitious watercolor scenes, but I had the inspiration for it and wanted to see it through. This painting taught me that I still have A LOT to learn about effective watercolor technique! And I love giving only a glimpse of the story so the gaps need to be filled by the viewer -- the mystery is part of the appeal I think :)
Two totally different comments. First, this struck me as the girl telling the guy, 'it's okay, babe, it happens to everybody sometime." Second thing, for foliage I have used pieces of natural sponge from a hobby shop. Full disclosure, I am not an accomplished artist. I was using it for map foliage. It worked well for what I used it for. But it might not work well for anything you do. But you might have fun experimenting on some scrap work.
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