plate no. 3029

Roe Deer

oilRealismanimal paintingdeerforesttreesfoliageanimalslandscape

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in layering colors to create depth and texture, as well as capturing realistic animal anatomy and fur detail. It also provides practice in depicting atmospheric perspective in a landscape.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 12 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic composition, focusing on the placement of the deer and the main landscape elements.
step 02
Establish the background sky and distant trees with thin washes of color.
step 03
Block in the general shapes and colors of the foliage, using a variety of browns, greens, and yellows.
step 04
Begin to define the forms of the deer, paying attention to their anatomy and proportions.
step 05
Add details to the fur, using short, broken brushstrokes to create texture.
step 06
Refine the foliage, adding highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
step 07
Add final details, such as the leaves on the trees and the grass in the foreground.
step 08
Glaze with thin layers to unify the painting and adjust values.

color palette

primary · burnt umber · yellow ochre · titanium white · sap green

secondary · raw sienna · ultramarine blue · cadmium yellow light

Achieve the various browns by mixing burnt umber with yellow ochre and small amounts of blue. Use white to lighten the colors and create highlights. Mix greens by combining yellow and blue.

techniques