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I don't think this guy looks like the title, really, but everyone thinks of a Tiger like that, with good reason! This tiger is a Siberian Tiger, one of the three kinds of tigers left in our world. As you can see, there are lines on the photo and on my drawing. It is a way to draw and get much better accuracy for your trouble! The ratio I used was 1:2, or 1/2 inch to one inch. Every square from the photo is drawn in the squares on my paper. Even then, because the photo is not a close-up, I still had a little trouble. But, I worked my way out of it.
This is the first wash of color. You can see shiny spots where there is no color, and those spots are masking fluid. I used it to protect all the other places that were either black or white, or snow. Then I went ahead and put down the bright orange of the tiger.
A few more washes, drying time, and then some of the masking fluid was removed and I started the black striping. It felt like paint-by-number. With a subject like this, I want to look at the lines, and not the whole picture. You relate the lines to what is around it, but if you try and look at the whole thing, you will get lost.
All of the masking fluid has been removed. Almost done. I lightened the tail, redid a few spots where I had gotten lost, and waited for everything to dry. Then I walked away for a day. When I came back, the spots that needed help jumped out at me.
I darkened everything, and made some of the snow bluer. Lightened his tail even more, the orangey part, and worked more on his eyes. I like them very much. He needed whiskers and more of the slight mane that tigers have. I also softened some of the black around his face, and when I did that, I thought I might do another tiger at some time, and do a soft version, a picture with no hard edges. I extended his front legs and darkened the snow to show his paws are under the snow. I do like him, and was not looking forward to him...don't like stripes! Hard to follow! Carrie picked out a Tiger, because tigers are big cats, and she loves cats. I had already done C and she knew cat begins with C. Clever little girl, and Grandma accomodated her with this tiger.
Everyone loves a tigger.
As always ace with that brush Michele.
I love the pose you chose for the tiger. It looks like the kind of tiger a kid would want as a pet and protector. I also love that you were able to make the cat's eyes kind. As far as I'm concerned, it take a GENIUS to get anything in the eyes of a drawing subject. Again, beautifully done!
Many thanks to you, Midge, and you, Tiffany, on the tiger. I love doing eyes. They are what makes a painting/drawing come alive. And it was rather fun doing a non traditional pose for the tiger. I have been doing poses that show the whole animal, but I think even small children seem to know what a tiger looks like. So when I saw this pose and setting (snow) it seemed like the right one for a Siberian Tiger.