BUFFALO BEAUTIES

One of Africa's most dangerous animals, and a member of The Big Five, the Buffalo, compels respect and admiration, its muscular body and huge horns symbols of brute strength.

One of my first artistic efforts with the Buffalo as subject, was this sketch I did a couple of years ago:

Pencil on Paper, 360 x 520mm

And then I sketched the Big Five in pencil, measuring 1 meter in width ......... STILL AVAILABLE!

Pencil on (white)Paper, 1000 x 660 mm

A group of Buffalo in their natural habitat, which I painted in oil:

Buffalo in the Bushveld.  Acrylic and oil on canvas. 720 x 470mm SOLD

When we visit the Isimangaliso Wetland Park near St Lucia, we almost always see Buffalo.

Photograph - Buffalo near Cape Vidal.

I caught this one rubbing on a scratch post; how do you like the expression of utter bliss on his face?

Photograph -  Buffalo near Cape Vidal

   

Something that fascinates me about painting Buffalo portraits, is their unique facial features, more so than antelope, for instance.

Buffalo Portrait. Acrylic on canvas. 600 x 400mm SOLD

Buffalo Portrait II, Watercolour on Paper. 530 x 360mm. 

After completing the watercolour portrait, I felt like painting it again, but on canvas, and bigger. So I started by doing a few small acrylic sketches, testing the colour combinations, and, very importantly, the underlying structure, or composition (light/dark patterns). Which one do you prefer?:

I went with Number Three. Granted, it still underwent some changes in the actual process. :-)

I did the underpainting on 90 x 60 cm canvas, which I quite liked as an abstract in itself:

I then added the buffalo!  Finally, here is the completed painting:

Buffalo Portrait III, Acrylic on Canvas. 900 x 600mm. SOLD 

And, while the going was good, I did another Buffalo portrait. I really enjoyed working on this size and format: See what I mean about every Buffalo face being different?

"Great Aspirations" - Portrait of a Young Buffalo. Acrylic on Canvas. 900 x 600mm.

HIGH PROFILE - THE PAINTING PROCESS

Just completed: another giraffe portrait, this time in profile:

"High Profile"

Watercolour 370 x 270mm

My process is one of overlaying colour in several layers. I start off with a pencil drawing made using a rough grid dividing the page in sixteen squares. I then lay in the main areas of colour with fairly wet watercolour with a 1/2 inch flat brush.

After that I work in specific areas with a rigger brush - anything from no 0 to 3, depending on the subject matter. When painting animals or birds, I use a very dry brush, which I use almost like a colouring pencil, making the strokes in the direction of the hair growth ( or feathers, in the case of a bird). I often use a damp brush to soften edges of painted areas.

It now becomes almost a game of "find the differences" between the reference picture and my painting. I concentrate on the shapes and shades of colour.     

The very last step is to add the highlights in the eyes, and a few white hairs where necessary. I use white gouache and a fine brush for this. I also used a thicker damp brush to gently lift some paint off the center of the eye-ball to simulate reflections and create depth. (some of the eye-lashes were made by using a toothpick to drag some of the wet paint outward during the stage when I was painting the dark around the eyes.) 

A VIEW FROM THE TOP

Another portrait - this time of an animal with a view from the top!

Giraffe Portrait (RESERVED)

Watercolour

370 x 270mm



A BIRD WITH ATTITUDE

Ostriches are not just large birds. They are large birds with ATTITUDE.

We visited a private game reserve, Nyala Game Ranch, a while ago. We were warned about the one male ostrich.

We stopped at the top of a hill to have some tea and eats. We had not relaxed in our camping chairs for long, when Mr Ostrich appeared. It was a very quick retreat into the safety of the car, as ostriches can muster a mean kick. You don't want to be at the receiving end of these:

When it continued hassling us at the windows, we decided to move elsewhere. It followed us for quite a while, literally chasing us off its territory!

I did manage to get a few good close-up shots to paint, though:

Ostrich  - Portrait (frontal)

Watercolour

260 x 175 mm

Ostrich - Portrait (profile)

Watercolour

260 x 175 mm

BLINK DETECTED

I had to laugh when I was photographing one of these two portraits and my camera kept saying: "blink detected". Well, at least my camera recognised it as a face!! Those of you living in Eshowe might recognise her...

"If I Close My Eyes, They Can't See My Soul"

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

500 x 400 mm

SOLD 

When I was photographing the lady for the reference, all I kept getting was closed eyes. When I asked her to open her eyes, I got this:

I decided to paint her as she preferred to be: with closed eyes. Maybe that is to shut the world out? 

The painting was sold on the recent Annual Eshowe Exhibition.

The other portrait is of a lady that lived next to the property where we had a bushcamp, near Pondweni in Maputaland, Northern KZN. She struck me as someone with dignity and a wealth of life experiences. Here she is:

"Kokho" (Grandma)

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas

500 x 400 mm

COMPLETING A PORTRAIT

I was asked to complete a portrait that another artist started before she passed away earlier this year. The portrait was of her nephew. She had good proportions and the groundwork had been done, so I adjusted the shading and fine-tuned the features. It was a pleasant challenge and I counted it a priviledge to complete the portrait for her mother.

Here is the portrait, as I received it.

The finished product:

Portrait in Oil on Artboard

350 x 450 mm: