Red Deer in Mixed Media

I want some examples of British wildlife for my portfolio so I pulled this Red Deer Stag from the WIP file.

I didn't get much done as I'm in the middle of a large pastel commission, but I did paint the sky.

This is an old Stag that I photographed in Scotland last New Years Day. His whole attitude was one of patient endurance. I wonder if he made it through the winter.

Mixed Media Deer

I've worked a little more on the deer, trying to create the feeling of recession. I have a lot of adjusting to do, but once I put the antlers in I hope things will start to come together.

I'm using Caran D'ache Neocolor for the distant hills, I will work over this base coat in coloured pencil if needed.

More on the Red Deer

I am now feeling microscopically more human following my surgery, although the nausea is not completely gone. Each day I can move my arms with a little less pain so I have returned to the Red deer in mixed media and some Snow Leopards in graphite.

I changed paper for the deer, as the pastel paper didn't want to play with acrylic and I wanted to add some in the fur.

I restarted on Arches Hot Press watercolour paper, around 18 x 12 inches and am using a mix of coloured pencils and acrylic.

The coloured pencils are mainly Polychromos and the acrylic mainly Liquitex, with the addition of Chromacolor white.

I have only included the bit of the painting that has some work done on it.

The Snow Leopards are even larger, approximately 20 x 16, on Mellotex Ultra white paper, using mechanical pencils, 4B to 4H.

The reference material for both paintings is mine, the mountains of Scotland have been adapted to provide the basis of the Himalayas.

I photographed the Deer in Scotland, and the Snow Leopards at Marwell Zoological Park.

Red Deer in Mixed Media

I had one of those days yesterday where I didn't want to do anything serious, I just wanted to experiment.

I've found out that all being well with my pre-op tests they've moved my operation forward to this Saturday, that threw me a bit.

I have some lovely photographs of Red Deer that I've taken over the course of several years visiting the Highlands of Scotland. I have been planning a large Deer painting for a while, so yesterday I decided to do a Deer study.

This is an old stag and I wanted to leave his grey fur as it gives him character. It is on Ingres pastel paper and includes Neocolor, Coloured Pencil and Acrylic.

I'm not sure I'll finish him but it helped me to see the potential problems.

After rushing round all day to get things at work sorted out I got another phone call from the hospital to say they don't have a bed for me this weekend, I'm back to where I started, oh well.