Noahs Ark
Here’s How You Can Paint Wildlife With Spirit
So what exactly is art with soul?
From ancient images of cave paintings
showing the raw energy and spirit of survival of a deer hunt, to the famous parable of Noah’s Ark, to modern cartoons such as the Lion King, images of wildlife art are all around us and have been since prehistoric times. Animal imagery appears to stimulate a instinctive connection humans have with the Earth and the animals we share it with.
Wildlife art with soul usually provokes an intense emotional effect and projects the raw essence of the animal. It is more than an exercise of photo-realism – it goes beyond a photograph, to capture the very spirit of the wildlife it portrays, it can go beyond any artistic style and perhaps technical ability. A novice artist can paint animal art with soul as well as an experienced professional, particularly when noting the following five things common to the most successful wildlife paintings.
Eyes that shine.
Known as the “windows to the soul”. They have to have a glimpse of life and reveal a character, mood or an identifiable reaction to a moment in the life of the animal subject. Take a look at the cat artwork by acclaimed artist Kat Davies to see brilliant examples of big cat eyes in her portfolio of leopard, lion and tiger art.
Colour and texture.
Recreate the texture of the pelt as closely as possible to recreate the sense of long, soft, coarse, short, spiky, curly, or straight hairs. Skin may be pink, blue, green, black, wrinkled or smooth, partially transparent where the light shows through, dry and scaly or wet such as the rims around the eyes or the nose. Add the little vital spark of life!
An interesting background
The background can create nostalgia, atmosphere and drama. For examples, study the superb works of Robert Bateman which show how evocative natural backgrounds might improve your wildlife art and bring your animal subject to life.
The lighting
Dramatic lighting gives life to work. Imagine sunlight filtering through the mane of a lion, or the cold reflected light on the flanks of a polar bear. The cool tones of shadow and the warm tones of sunlight put your animal in the constantly changing cycle of nature from day to night, season to season and give a sense of changing climate,weather and time.
A story
A striking background will help a painting to ‘tell a story’. Often the viewer of the piece might imagine an ending for themselves and actively connect with the painting. Take a look at the wildlife paintings of John Seerey-Lester, particularly those of his historic hunts, to see story-telling in art.
Whether painting ‘cute and furry’ animals such as cubs, kittens and puppies, the harsh or romantic wild including the Big Five, animals in the field of sport or hunting, garden birds or even the cherished family pet portrait, keep in mind that memorable animal art is animal art with soul.
If you would like to see stunning examples of wildlife paintings then take a look at katdavies.com. There is an extensive gallery of these and other works, and is particularly interesting if you are interested in a painting of your pet.
CocoRosie “Noah’s Ark”
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Wilton Mini Noah’s Ark Metal Cookie Cutters $1.30 Perfect size for lunch box cookies gift baskets and crafts. Built to last they cut cleanly and release with ease. Each shape is approximately 1-1/2. Includes 6 cutters per package. Two themes available…. |
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Fox Run Noah’s Ark Cookie Cutter Set $3.38 This is a set of 6 tin-plated cookie cutters in the shape of animals from NOAH’S ARK. Included is an Elephant, Kangaroo, Camel, Girraffe, Horse, and Pig…. |
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Martha Stewart Collection Noah’s Ark Animal Cookie Cutters … |
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Baby Einstein – Baby Noah – Animal Expedition $15.50 The baby-to-toddler set gets an expedition through a variety of animal habitats across the planet in this installment of the Baby Einstein series. Despite the title, there is no real biblical connection to the material other than Noah’s Ark toys and a few paintings (minus Noah and family). The subtitle “Animal Expedition” is far more accurate, as the 38-minute program takes the youngsters through … |
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A Classic Christmas – The Ed Sullivan Show $0.97 Unforgettable Performances from The Ed Sullivan ShowCapture the warmth joy and magic of the holiday season in A ClassicChristmas; from the Ed Sullivan Show. This one hour special featuressome of the biggest classic holiday song performers to date includingBing Crosby Johnny Mathis and Connie Francis. Share some festivefamily seasonal moments with group performances from Alvin & TheChipmunks and Ri… |
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Best of Bill Cosby $6.49 No Description Available.Genre: Spoken Word: ComedyMedia Format: Compact DiskRating: Release Date: 1-MAR-2005… |
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Kidsline Ark Animals Wall Decals $8.50 Kids Line Ark Animals Wall DecalsAll of the colorful animals including a monkey, giraffe, elephant, lion and alligator are all aboard the ark, and a whale following down below are ready to set out on a sea adventure! These decals are easy to install and remove. Simply peel each decal from the backing sheet and apply to a clean wall. To reposition, just peel the appliqué away from the wall, stick… |
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Lambs & Ivy Wall Appliques – S.S. Noah $16.95 Lambs & Ivy Wall Appliques – S.S. NoahContains four 10 inch x 18 inch sheets of various sized stickers. There are 63 stickers in all. They have self-stick adhesive that won’t harm walls. The decals are removable and reusable. Just peel and stick…. |
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Noah’s Ark Wall Decor Mural Decal Sticker $24.95 Noah’s Ark Wall Decal This is a 36″x 24″ wall decal. This is 1 single sheet.. This decal is removeable. Very simple instructions Just peel and stick on the wall. Recommended Surfaces: Smooth Walls |
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Evan Almighty (Widescreen Edition) $3.56 Steve Carell reprises his “Bruce Almighty” role of Evan Baxter in this hilarious sequel. No longer Bruce’s rival newscaster, newly elected congressman Evan finds he may be destined for a greater purpose than public service when he’s visited by God (Morgan Freeman) who gives him the task of constructing an ark in an effort to save mankind. Lauren Graham, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jonah Hil… |
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