Project 45: Giraffe

I have always been fascinated by giraffes. As a child on my first trip to a zoo, I remember that the first animal I wanted to see was a giraffe. I was not disappointed! I observed this giraffe at the Cincinnati Zoo.

Reference Photo

1 Establish the Form

Lightly sketch the giraffe onto your panel in pencil, using a kneaded eraser to make corrections or lighten lines. With a no. 10 round and diluted Burnt Umber, paint the main lines and shaded areas.

2 Paint the Dark Values

Mix a warm black with Burnt Umber and Ultramarine Blue. With a no. 10 round, paint the tops of the horns, the lower lip and the shadows inside the ears.

Mix dark brown color with Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue. With a no. 10 round, paint the eyes, the facial markings, the spots in shadow on the neck and the base of the mane. For good, dark coverage, paint more layers after the first layer is dry.

3 Paint the Middle Values

Mix reddish brown for the spots that are not in shadow with Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Cadmium Orange and a small amount of Ultramarine Blue. Paint with a no. 10 round.

Mix a buff color with Titanium White, Naples Yellow, Cadmium Orange and Raw Sienna. Mix a dark buff color with the same colors, plus Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna. Paint the darker areas of the coat between the spots with dark buff, and the lighter areas with buff. Use a no. 10 round to paint strokes that follow the hair pattern.

Mix a blue sky color with Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue and a touch of Cadmium Orange. Paint dabbing strokes with a no. 12 bright; switch to a no. 10 round for around the giraffe’s outline. Mix a lighter blue sky color with a portion of blue sky and Titanium White. Paint the lower quarter of the sky, blending with a separate brush and the blue sky color.

4 Paint the Light Values and Add Detail

Mix an off-white for the ear, face and forehead with Titanium White and a small amount of Raw Sienna. Paint with a no. 10 round. Paint the teeth with a no. 3 round.

Paint detail in the ears with separate no. 3 rounds and warm black, reddish brown and off-white, blending where the colors meet.

Mix a shadow color with Titanium White, Raw Sienna and a bit of Ultramarine Blue. Paint the lighter areas of the head with a no. 10 round, blending with a separate brush and the adjacent color.

With dark brown and a no. 3 round, paint detail in the upper forehead, muzzle and horns with small, thin strokes. Use the buff color and a no. 3 round to paint detail in the dark part of the forehead, blending with dark brown and a separate no. 3 round.

ELEGANCE

Acrylic on Gessobord

9” × 12” (23cm × 30cm)

5 Paint the Finishing Details

Integrate the spots on the neck with the buff base color by feathering the edges of the spots with a no. 10 round and dark brown in the shadowed areas, and reddish brown in the more lighted areas. Use a small amount of paint with light-pressured strokes. Add detail to the buff and dark buff areas using the spot colors (dark brown and reddish brown) with small, light strokes. Use the same technique to integrate spots on the giraffe’s head.

Lengthen the mane with a no. 10 round and thin strokes of reddish brown. Add some darker strokes with dark brown. Highlight the upper edge of the mane and reinforce the top line of the neck with buff.

Paint a highlight in the eye with the light blue sky color, blending the edges with a separate brush and dark brown. Reinforce the lower lid with dark buff, then use buff to carefully highlight the lowest part of the lid.

Paint detail on the muzzle with the reddish color and a no. 3 round, using short strokes. Tone down the teeth with buff, blending with dark brown. Paint a few hairs in the ears that overlap the shadows in the ears with a no. 3 round and a bit of off-white mixed with a bit of the shadow color.

Mix a whisker color with dark brown and the blue sky color. Paint lightly with a no. 3 round, toning down as needed with a separate brush and the blue sky color.