Project 22: Holstein
This cow belongs to some neighbors of ours who run a small dairy farm. The whole family very kindly helped me get the cow into a good pose, repeatedly herding her away from a muddy puddle she wanted to wade in to cool off!
Reference Photo
Materials
Paints
Burnt Umber
Cadmium Red Medium
Cadmium Yellow Light
Payne’s Gray
Raw Sienna
Titanium White
Ultramarine Blue
Yellow Oxide
Brushes
no. 1, 3, 5 and 7 rounds
1 Establish the Form and the Dark Values
Draw the cow lightly in pencil. With Payne’s Gray thinned with water and a no. 5 round, paint the main lines and form of the cow.
For the warm black of the cow’s coat, mix Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue. Paint with a no. 7 round with dabbing strokes that follow the cow’s contours. As the paint dries, add more layers until the black is rich and dense.
Tip
Although the cow’s tail doesn’t show in the main reference photo, adding the tail gives more life to the pose, as if the cow had just flicked away a fly.
2 Paint the Middle Values
Mix a grayish highlight color for the black areas of the coat with Titanium White, Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue. Paint with a no. 5 round.
Mix a warm shadow color for the cow’s chest, belly, udder, legs and tail with Titanium White, Yellow Oxide, Raw Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. Paint with a no. 5 round.
Mix a pink for the nose and udder with Titanium White, Cadmium Red Medium and Yellow Oxide. Paint with a no. 3 round.
3 Paint the Lighter Values
Mix a bluish shadow color for the white areas of the cow with Titanium White, a small amount of Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Burnt Umber. Paint with a no. 5 round.
Blend the grayish highlight color with the warm black of the cow’s coat using separate no. 3 rounds for the two colors. Use a fairly dry brush to paint small strokes of black over the highlighted areas, then blend with the grayish color.
Drybrush more grayish highlights over the black areas.
4 Paint the Lightest Values and Add Detail
Mix a lighter gray highlight color with a bit of the grayish highlight color from Step 2 and Titanium White. Paint the highlights on the head and ears with a no. 3 round.
Mix a warm white for the cow’s coat with Titanium White and a touch of Cadmium Yellow Light. Paint with a no. 3 round, with small, dabbing strokes.
Mix a darker shadow color for the cow’s chest, belly, udder, legs and tail with a portion of the warm shadow color from Step 2 mixed with Burnt Umber and a small amount of the warm black from Step 1. Paint with a no. 3 round using a fresh no. 3 round to blend it with the neighboring color.
With separate no. 3 rounds for the bluish shadow color, the warm shadow color and the warm white color, blend where those colors meet.
CLASSIC HOLSTEIN
Acrylic on Gessobord
8” × 10” (20cm × 25cm)
5 Add the Finishing Details
With a no. 3 round and the grayish highlight color from Step 2, add some hair detail to the inside of the left ear. Use a no. 1 round to refine the cow’s muzzle and nostrils.
With the lighter version of the warm shadow color and a no. 3 round, paint detail in the cow’s white face marking and flank. Blend with a fresh no. 3 round and the warm white.
Use a no. 1 round to refine the shape of the eyes. For the highlights in the eyes, mix a bit of the grayish highlight color with a touch of the warm black from Step 1. Paint with a no. 1 round.