Same zoo trip, Bigger big cat

Snow Leopard Cubs

Probably the main reason I went to the zoo that day....

An Experiment in Gouache

So I had an urge to paint something traditionally and since I like the gouache tool so much in Painter I figured I should try out the real stuff. Having never used gouache before I decided to start with something simple and this silly fellow volunteered as my test subject. Thought I'd share the process:

Just my blue sketch, always my favorite part : )

This was my color study which was done on a xerox with watercolor-which explains the folds in the paper. I did a couple of these but I liked this one best.

And this was the final result in gouache, painted on a scrap piece of matte board with the lines done in ink. My conclusion: I'm pretty rusty at painting traditionally but I had fun playing with the gouache. It was fun trying to think through my mistakes without having an undo button. Overall it was an enjoyable experiment.

Kids

Took a break from the horses to sketch my other favorite subject....