Picking Scent - bear wip finished

[lene]

Hi
I started out an attempt to do this bear in acrylic-paint.... well, that is on a hold for a while :cool:

Instead I am doing it ½ size - approx. 8,5 x 12 inches, sandcolor Ingress (smoothest side) in pastel and pastel pencils.
(I know .... I haven't started with the background)

I've used Rembrandt soft pastel, and FaberCastell and Carbotello pastel pencils. I have been switching back and forth with light, dark and medium values...

and C&C welcome

[Rose]

Lene, this looks terrific. I can almost feel the coarseness of the fur! It is looking fantastic. Did you find acrylics dried too fast or what was the reason why you stopped using them? Just curious. :D

[lene]

Hi Rose
Thanks for your comment :)
nothing wrong with the acrylics at all. Problem is me handling the brushes ... just have to do more doodles with the medium and tools to get aquainted I guess :cool: The bear-fur I found quite difficult to "catch" with the brushes :o

[Rose]

:D Sometimes the practicing the doodles is the hardest part! Thank you for the explanation. I have some acrylics on hand and am about to try them out, so wondered if others had problems with them. You're doing GREAT with the pastels and pastel pencils. Will stay close for updates!

[Bill C]

YAY Lene!

I love wildlife (no surprise there) and have wanted to do a brown bear. It looks like your off to a great start. Is this the actual crop? I'd rather see him have a bit more room. And I guess I need to ask what your using for a ref?

Watching this one! :D

[Norma69]

Hey - coming along nicely - looks like he has a mission in mind - Hmmm :D
Norma

[lene]

Hi Bill
thanks for watching :)
there are more space around the bear. And he is standing in rather high grass. The title is gonna be "Picking Scent" as he was just walking slowly around smelling the grass. I hope to catch the mood with the pleasant backlightning. I had great trouble catching his actual color, but find the one I painted okay.
oh. should mention, this one I traced from photo.
The photo is one of several I took in a Zoo that has a Worldfamous (so they clame) habitat for their bears and their wolfes. (seperate that is ;) )
Here is a link to the park if you wanna look. Also in English language :cool: : http://www.skandinaviskdyrepark.dk/

I posted my own photo below.

[lene]

Rose, forgot to mention that the only acrylics I now have are the "fluid" type. I gave up on the "body" type long time ago, can't work with that thick stuff. The fluids are as liquid as watercolors - with slight diff between brands ;)

[Meisie]

I like seeing this guy on paper! ;) He's coming along nicely.

Meisie

[lene]

thanks Norma and Meisie :)

I've been working more on the fur. Trying to depict the difference of texture and value in it. Not finished though - for one thing I'm getting back to the highlights when I have the background in place...
I also started on the background ;)

[Amazingreys]

I love how this is coming along Lene. Your work is great.

What kind of pastels and pastel pencils are you using?

Looking forward to seeing this develop!

[lene]

Thanks Dana :)
I have used Rembrandt soft pastels, and FaberCastell + Carbotello + Talens Van Gogh pastel pencils.

[Arlene]

why didn't you work your bg first? are you planning on making it green grass? If so, time to go back and reread the thread about how one color influences another. :judge: It's possible you'll put the bg on and it will change the way the bear looks. I've seen things like that happen over and over. If you notice, even Gemma who works from upper left down, also starts with her bg.

Also the bg itself will change the bear. there's NO excuse!

[Cleo]

beautiful lene :)



cleo

[Brenda]

Oh, so gorgeous, Lene! I love this big, shaggy guy. You're doing a beautiful job on him.

[lene]

thanks Cleo and Brenda :)
Arlene, :blushing: reason for starting with the bear (excuse or not ;) ); I was rather afraid if I could paint the bears fur satisfying. I find this kind of fur some of the more difficult to render, and only did it in graphite and in ink before.
I know the danger with the colors, but I "had to" jump into the area I felt most uncertain about; if I worked the background in and couldn't paint the bear as I wanted I feel like wasting my time on that ;) .... The background is going to follow the ref-photo. This drawing is based on that particular photo.

[lene]

hi
an update starting on background :cool:
Colors used are greens, yellows, browns, reds. In some places white or yellow is underpainted

[Meisie]

:cool:

Meisie

[Dave.R]

Wonderful Lene:)

[lene]

thanks Mesie and Dave :)
A closer look working on the clover. I draw them in white to keep track, put in dark greens around and in darker areas. then I go both lighter and darker to get the clover and grass to show.

[lucky]

This is goregous Lene. I love the way you've done the rim lighting! It's going to be beautiful! You're an animal pro!

[lene]

Hi Lucky - thank you so much :blushing: :)

the final drawing. Even I've worked on the colors in PhotoShop I cannot get an exact match to the original, but it is acceptable to me ;)
I intended to express the "calm mood" of this great, large animal slowly walking around Picking Scent from the grass and clover. Hope it shows like I felt it :)
By the way this is an European Brown Bear ....

[Amazingreys]

You captured the feeling well, Lene! I love this shaggy guy! :clap:

[Rose]

Lene, this is wonderful! I love the halo of light around the bear, he sparkles in the sunlight. He is an awesome and powerful looking animal. You've outdone yourself! I think the background worked out just fine, you muted the greens and they play off the color of the bear. :clap: :clap:

[Meisie]

Nice job Lene!!

Meisie

[lene]

thanks girls ;) :)
I am going to another wildlife drawing for sure, just have to decide if I'll practise the pastels or colorpencils next time ;) :rolleyes:

[Arlene]

i'm not sure if it's your scan or those are close but right now the bg is reading too close to the bear in value and the color is too much on the yellow side which if it isn't the scan just proves my point. ;) :)

[lene]

Hi Arlene, the scan makes it look to yellowish-green that's how I would explain it :o
Question concerning the values; The background are kept light to emphazise it is background :cool: - the bear has a halo that I found made it stand out from background in value ... do you mean the bears local colors are same values as background ?
This is very important to understand for me; I have attached 2 files, my drawing in b/w and a b/w where I made parts of the bear darker in PhotoShop! (I am not keen on working more on the background)

[lene]

Hi
I have darkened the bear a bit to stand out more from background. See the difference ?

[lucky]

This turned out great Lene! I really like the softness of it, it adds some nice dewey atmosphere, and love all those purples in his fur. I can see the difference! :D It's really beautiful!

[lene]

thanks Lucky :) Glad you can spot the purple hues in his fur ;)