TheArtistApril2016__

PRACTICAL

STAGE ONE

I began by drawing a detailed outline, using grids

and measurements to get accurate proportions

STAGE TWO

I blocked in the painting with a basic wash using

paint diluted with linseed oil to remove all the white

from the canvas and creating a broad basecoat

STAGE THREE

I continued painting the distant trees and branches,

keeping them quite bright and hazy, blending the

edges to create a soft tone that would contrast with

the sharper details of the foreground characters

STAGE FOUR

I marked out areas of shadow that would be

developed with texture and depth at a later stage.

At first I painted them slightly too regimented and

orderly, so I adapted individual shafts of moonlight

to create variation

STAGE FIVE

I worked in detail from the background forward,

starting with the twisting, eerie branches of the tree,

blending edges to create a soft focus effect

STAGE SIX

Masking tape was used to reserve areas for the

shafts of moonlight

STAGE SEVEN

Starting with a dark base coat, I built the texture on

the Wild Things, gradually adding highlights with

undiluted paint, using animal photos online as

reference material

STAGE EIGHT

I developed the flesh tones by building from dark to

light, gradually adding details, highlights and

textures to give the skin tone a warm, glowing

quality that would complement the orange hues of

the Wild Things

DEMONSTRATIONWhere the Wild Things Are

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FINISHED PAINTINGMichael Sheen as Max in Where the Wild Things Are, oil on canvas, 23^1 ⁄ 2 53in (60135cm)

http://www.painters-online.co.uk artistApril 2016 55

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