I have been making progress with this handsome young grizzly, after blocking him in with burnt umber and a little black wash. Then, I started on the front of the bear and used yellow ochre, a tad of medium yellow, less than a tad of naples yellow, a tiny bit of titanium white and a quick dip of burnt umber to tone the yellows down as my next coat. Making my way around the bear, I used a tiny bit of transparent red oxide into the burnt umber with yellow ochre. Now I am ready to start putting some of the more delicate strokes on the bear to denote hair floating under the water, puffing the hair out a bit, and lastly working on the face.
While I paint, I always keep in mind how I saw this young guy, romping in the water, what his fur looked like as he shook some of the water off, and then emerging again into his cool pond. I always study the eyes to see where they dart off to, or if they have a more pensive look about them. I do have several shots of him that both my daughter, Kris, and I took of him that I continually study to get just the right look of him and of course, whether I am missing anything. I am loving painting him, and excited to start putting in some detail to make him come alive.