Project 31: Red Squirrel

Red squirrels are another common tree squirrel found in North America. They are sometimes referred to as pine squirrels or chicarees. The red squirrel has a red tail bordered with black, a white underbelly and tufted ears.

Reference Photo

1 Establish the Lights, Darks and Basic Form

Lightly sketch the squirrel in pencil. Use a kneaded eraser to lighten the pencil lines. With Payne’s Gray thinned with turpentine and a no. 5 round (for the broader areas) and a no. 1 round (for details), paint the basic lines and values.

2 Paint the Darker Values

For the darker values, mix Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and a small amount of Ultramarine Blue. Paint the darks with a no. 5 round. With a clean no. 2 filbert, soften the line at the edge of the squirrel’s back where it meets your background.

3 Add the Fur Detail

Continue adding detail to the fur. Use just enough water so the paint flows. Add dark hair patterns with the color you mixed in Step 1, followed by the lighter value you mixed in Step 2, using no. 1 rounds. Paint with small overlapping strokes. For detail in the bluish shadow areas, dip a no. 1 round into the bluish mixture from Step 2, then into some Burnt Umber, and mix on the palette. Apply with small strokes, and overlap the edges with strokes of the bluish mixture.

For highlights in the fur, use some of the color mixture from Step 2 that you mixed for the paws and feet. Begin to paint these highlights with a no. 1 round, including the edge of the tail where it meets your background.

RED SQUIRREL

Acrylic on gesso-primed Masonite

8” × 10” (20cm × 25cm)

4 Finish the Details

Keep overlapping the three basic fur colors alternately, using the reddish value to tone down and soften brushstrokes that appear too sharp. Use Titanium White with a touch of Yellow Ochre to soften and blend the white lines around the eye. With two brushes—a no. 1 round for Titanium White and another no. 1 round for the bluish shadow color—add highlights to the underbelly, then blend the edges with the bluish color.

Use your background color to paint around the toes to refine the shape of the feet and paws. Use the paw and foot color mixture to redefine the shape. Using a no. 1 round, glaze the feet with a thin wash of Burnt Umber. Then, using a no. 1 round and some of the foot color mixed with Titanium White, paint highlights on the toes. You don’t need to glaze the paws with a darker color since the paws are not in shadow. Highlight the paws in the same way as the feet.

Paint the whiskers with a no. 0 round and a very small amount of Burnt Umber thinned with water. Blot your brush lightly on a paper towel before applying the paint. Be careful not to make the whiskers too dark. Paint the eye highlight with a no. 0 round and a small amount of Titanium White mixed with a touch of Ultramarine Blue. Use the dark eye color to refine the shape, and redefine the highlight with the highlight color.