Step 1: Reference
I took this photo of a cape buffalo while on safari as Sweetwaters, in Nanyuki, Kenya, 2017. I added a more impressive set of horns from a photo by Vicki Jaron, downloaded with her kind permission from Getty Images
Step-by-step Cape Buffalo
A quick overview of key stages in the painting of “The Skeptic” a Cape Buffalo from Sweetwaters
Step 1a: Composite
I blended the new horns in place, stripped out the background and replaced it with one of my signature color panels in mustard/orange.
Step 2: Test study
I used a 10"x8" piece of the new Legion Special Handmade paper in 300lb rough and did a quick test for composition, lighting and color palette.
Step 4: Background
I lay out, wet-on-wet, the base mustard (yellow ochre and Hansa Yellow) and charge that area with rose madder to give a sunset feel to the background panel. The paper keeps paint moist longer than most roughs, which allows for easier blending.
Step 5: Start with the Eye!
As is normal for me, I start with the eye, to set the mood of the piece while I am painting. Also, I just really like painting eyes. I lay in Raw Umber and Yellow Ochre, lifting a little for highlights and feather in the grey shadows over the skyline highlight at the top of the eye before forming the wrinkled "bags" under teh eye.
Step 6: Block in ear
I quickly and loosely block in the right ear (left side of painting) and add some form under the eye. These areas are basically a form of underpainting, as I will add depth and tone with multiple glazed layers later.
Step 7: Laying base tones for head
Using a combination of Hansa Yellow, Yellow Ochre and Rose Madder with Alazarin Crimson, I loosely lay in base tones for th ehead, and apply the first layer of glaze over the ear. These tones will inform the lighter highlights as I glaze and add shading and depth to the piece in later stages.
Step 8: Deeper glaze on ear
I use Alazarin Crimson and Rose Madder to glaze over the ear, defining hairs by painting reverse areas with paynes grey/Alazarin Crimson (adhereing to my standard of never using black in a watercolour painting). I create shadow forms with glazed Alazarin.
Step 9: Deeper glaze on cheek
I splash in a loose glazed layer of Alazarin Crimson, to set up the rich colour of the cheek.
Step 10: The Muzzle
I loosely define the shadows and highlights of the Muzzle with Burnt Umber, Payne's Grey and Alazarin Crimson, paying close attention to the reference to capture the unique glossy "wet" highlights.
Step 11: Block in Body
I lay in a base tone of Hansa Yellow/Yellow Ochre for his left ear (right side of art) and loosely vlovk in wet-in-wet, the tones for the body, Using Paynes Grey and Alazarin Crimson. Wrinkles are loosely indicated wet-in-wet and I drop in some water to add bloom cauliflower effects as the base for patches of dried mud.
Step 12: Detailing around Eye
I glaze over the brow area and add cracks and creases, lifting to indicate highlights.
Step 13: Body Glaze and Sea Salt
I glaze loosely over the bas body tones, using Payne's Grey/Alazarin Crimson, leaving some areas to be developed into pathces of dried mud later, then liberally disperse Sea Salt to create a unique random mottled texture.
I then begin to define hairs on the nape of the neck.
Step 14: Block in Horns
I lay in a loose wash of Rose Madder to set the base tone for the horns, then using the lightbox to see the complex ridges in my black and white reference outlines, taped underneath the paper, I use wet-on-wet to loosely define the ridges and striations and basic highlight areas of the horns.
I drop in some cobalt blue to set up the tone for upper horn tips.
Step 15: Horn details
I lpaint wet on dry, glazing over details into the horns, then use lifting to define highlights of the knobs, knurls and striations. I allowed cauliflower blooms to form in parts of the horn tips to add random stain and wear markings.
Step 16: Glazing Muzzle
I lay in a deeper, Payne's Grey/Alazarin Crimson glaze over one side of the muzzle, to accentuate shading.
Step 16: Glazing Muzzle
Finished Painting
After re-glazing and detailing dried mud patches, and lifting. more highlights around the eyes, I'm finished.
Hopefully I managed to capture some of the sheer massiveness and menace of this distrusting subject!
Step 1: Reference
I took this photo of a cape buffalo while on safari as Sweetwaters, in Nanyuki, Kenya, 2017. I added a more impressive set of horns from a photo by Vicki Jaron, downloaded with her kind permission from Getty Images
Step 1a: Composite
I blended the new horns in place, stripped out the background and replaced it with one of my signature color panels in mustard/orange.
Step 2: Test study
I used a 10"x8" piece of the new Legion Special Handmade paper in 300lb rough and did a quick test for composition, lighting and color palette.
Step 4: Background
I lay out, wet-on-wet, the base mustard (yellow ochre and Hansa Yellow) and charge that area with rose madder to give a sunset feel to the background panel. The paper keeps paint moist longer than most roughs, which allows for easier blending.
Step 5: Start with the Eye!
As is normal for me, I start with the eye, to set the mood of the piece while I am painting. Also, I just really like painting eyes. I lay in Raw Umber and Yellow Ochre, lifting a little for highlights and feather in the grey shadows over the skyline highlight at the top of the eye before forming the wrinkled "bags" under teh eye.
Step 6: Block in ear
I quickly and loosely block in the right ear (left side of painting) and add some form under the eye. These areas are basically a form of underpainting, as I will add depth and tone with multiple glazed layers later.
Step 7: Laying base tones for head
Using a combination of Hansa Yellow, Yellow Ochre and Rose Madder with Alazarin Crimson, I loosely lay in base tones for th ehead, and apply the first layer of glaze over the ear. These tones will inform the lighter highlights as I glaze and add shading and depth to the piece in later stages.
Step 8: Deeper glaze on ear
I use Alazarin Crimson and Rose Madder to glaze over the ear, defining hairs by painting reverse areas with paynes grey/Alazarin Crimson (adhereing to my standard of never using black in a watercolour painting). I create shadow forms with glazed Alazarin.
Step 9: Deeper glaze on cheek
I splash in a loose glazed layer of Alazarin Crimson, to set up the rich colour of the cheek.
Step 10: The Muzzle
I loosely define the shadows and highlights of the Muzzle with Burnt Umber, Payne's Grey and Alazarin Crimson, paying close attention to the reference to capture the unique glossy "wet" highlights.
Step 11: Block in Body
I lay in a base tone of Hansa Yellow/Yellow Ochre for his left ear (right side of art) and loosely vlovk in wet-in-wet, the tones for the body, Using Paynes Grey and Alazarin Crimson. Wrinkles are loosely indicated wet-in-wet and I drop in some water to add bloom cauliflower effects as the base for patches of dried mud.
Step 12: Detailing around Eye
I glaze over the brow area and add cracks and creases, lifting to indicate highlights.
Step 13: Body Glaze and Sea Salt
I glaze loosely over the bas body tones, using Payne's Grey/Alazarin Crimson, leaving some areas to be developed into pathces of dried mud later, then liberally disperse Sea Salt to create a unique random mottled texture.
I then begin to define hairs on the nape of the neck.
Step 14: Block in Horns
I lay in a loose wash of Rose Madder to set the base tone for the horns, then using the lightbox to see the complex ridges in my black and white reference outlines, taped underneath the paper, I use wet-on-wet to loosely define the ridges and striations and basic highlight areas of the horns.
I drop in some cobalt blue to set up the tone for upper horn tips.
Step 15: Horn details
I lpaint wet on dry, glazing over details into the horns, then use lifting to define highlights of the knobs, knurls and striations. I allowed cauliflower blooms to form in parts of the horn tips to add random stain and wear markings.
Step 16: Glazing Muzzle
I lay in a deeper, Payne's Grey/Alazarin Crimson glaze over one side of the muzzle, to accentuate shading.
Finished Painting
After re-glazing and detailing dried mud patches, and lifting. more highlights around the eyes, I'm finished.
Hopefully I managed to capture some of the sheer massiveness and menace of this distrusting subject!
A time lapse video of the entire painting, compressed down from around eighty hours to just twelve minutes.