Fur, Feathers, and Scales – Painting Animal Textures in Watercolors by Denise Soden

It can be difficult to create the illusion of fur, feathers, and scales while still retaining that inherent ethereal quality found in watercolors. With this medium, I don’t aim for photorealism, as I personally feel other mediums lend themselves better to that style. Instead I prefer to find a balance between including enough details for the subject to read as a real animal while still letting the watercolors do their own thing.

In this class, we will:

Explore painting various lengths of fur

Practice painting different types of feathers

Learn to paint both soft and defined scales

Create 1-3 class projects implementing each of these textures