Cheetah - Light & Shadow Patterns : Preview

In this tutorial, we use a well-lit reference photo of a cheetah to really explore the power of a strong pattern of light and shadow. Learning to look for a light and shadow pattern is a great way to simplify any subject, whilst at the same time actually creating a more dramatic and powerful watercolour painting.

We take a good look at using the simple 3-stage process of lights - gentle shadow - deep shadow. Far from the only way to paint of course, but this process is a great place to start in understanding light and shadow, how to look for it, and paint it; ultimately laying the foundations for more creative freedom as your painting evolves and develops.

This tutorial also continues exploring the power of using a more limited palette, using only three main colours to create this piece. I will explain why I have chosen these colours and what to expect from them.  There is also a warmup tonal exercise to really nail down how we observe a subject and how to translate that into the painting process.

I hope you have fun with this one! I enjoyed it a lot!