Paint a calf in snow with a cowboy.
Painting a calf in the snow with a cowboy sounds like a complicated undertaking, but is actually a manageable process when broken down into basic steps. Using drawings or photographs as reference, instead of working from imagination, helps to create a realistic painting with correct proportions and perspective. For best results, study and sketch each subject independently before bringing them all together in one painting.
Instructions
1. Practice drawing cowboys, calves and snow independently of one another in preparation for painting all three together. Work from life or photographs to learn the calf and human anatomy and proportions. For example, human beings are generally 7 1/2 heads tall.
2. Create a composite image of a cowboy and calf in snow to work from using sketches or photographs rearranged in a cut-and-paste collage method or with a photo editing computer program. This composite is an opportunity to fix compositional and proportional flaws before beginning to paint.
3. Draw the image of a calf and cowboy in the snow from the composite image on a sheet of paper the same size of the canvas board. Sketch in the large shapes of the animal, the man and the snowy landscape first, then add in smaller details.
4. Transfer the drawing on to the canvas board. Turn the drawing face down on a table and color in the entire back of the paper in with the graphite stick. Tape the drawing face up over the board, then trace over the lines with the pencil to transfer the graphite on the back to the front of the canvas. Press hard so the drawing transfers fully on to the board. Lift up one side of the drawing to make sure the transfer is complete before removing it. Paint over the drawing on the canvas board with a thin layer of acrylic matte medium so the graphite does not muddy the paint. Allow to dry.
5. Squeeze out all the colors of the paint set along the edge of the palette leaving 1/2-to-1 inch of space between each color. Scoop a spoonful of acrylic matte medium at the end of the line of paint. Mix a small amount of blue paint with acrylic matte medium to create a translucent blue. Paint the entire canvas with this translucent blue. The cool blue tone portrays the chill of winter.
6. Mix the primary colors of the calf and the cowboy on the palette. Block in these colors using a medium-size brush; do not add details. Mix blue paint with white paint to create a light blue. Block in the basic shapes of the areas of snow that are not in shadow. Mix and add the colors of any other elements of the background such as the sky or surrounding trees or mountains.
7. With a small brush add to details such as eyes and facial features to the cast and the cowboy. Add details to the cowboys clothing, hat and boots. Paint layers of the translucent blue mixed in Step 5 over the shadow areas in the snow. Mix white paint with a very small amount of yellow paint and add this warm white to the highlights of the snow.
