Bison Acrylic Painting Tutorial

Paints Used : Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Muted Pink, Sky Blue, Muted Grey (Liquitex Soft Body Acrylics)

Brushes Used : Jackson's Akoya Synthetic Long Flats no. 6.4.2

Painted on 30 x 30 cm Winsor & Netwon watercolour paper (300gsm)

1. I typically start an animal portrait by filling in the eyes and nose shapes first. The dark eye colour is a mix of cadmium yellow, muted pink, and muted grey. The base nose colour is a shade of purple, created using sky blue, muted pink, and some white. I add white to this mixture for the top of the nose, which is lighter. I use the same colour I used for the eyes to block in the dark shapes around the face, mouth, nose, and ears.

2. Next, I make a medium-value red-brown colour using a little cadmium yellow and more muted pink, and apply it to create the fur of the bison. Using the same puddle of paint, I add more cadmium yellow and a little white to shift the mixture towards a yellow-orange hue. I apply this for the fur in the middle of the face, on top of the head, and around the neck. Lastly, using the same mixture—this time adding a lot more white, cadmium yellow, and a touch of sky blue—I fill in the remaining areas of the fur. I use this same colour, with added white, to paint the bison’s horns.

3. I could have painted the entire bison with the red-brown colour and it would have turned out just fine. But by adjusting the colour slightly in subtle directions (a little more yellow, a bit more green, etc.), I’ve created a much more interesting range of colour and tonal values that will appeal to the viewer.

4. At this point, I start adding depth to the painting by introducing darker values, which help bring the painting to life. I recreate each colour for each section of the fur, except this time I add a touch more muted grey to make it slightly darker than the original. I apply this colour to areas of the bison that are more in shadow and not receiving as much light—typically around the eyes, nose, and under the face/chin.

5. Next, I return to the original base colour of each fur section and add a little more white to give it a lighter tonal value. I apply this mixture using firm, sharp brushstrokes. I always make sure there is plenty of paint loaded on the brush before each stroke, and I always have a small pot of water on hand to dip into so the paint glides on the surface the way I want it to.

6. For the horns and nose, I use the same technique I used to create the fur texture. I start with a medium-value base colour—warm white for the horns and a muted purple for the nose. I then adjust the mixture by adding more muted grey to darken it, or a little white to lighten it, depending on the area. For areas in shadow, I use more muted grey; for those receiving more light, I add more white and a touch of muted pink.

7. For the background, I want something that contrasts nicely with the subject. I mix sky blue, cadmium yellow, and white to create a light turquoise colour and apply it around the bison. At the same time, I make sure I’m carving out the edges so that they appear crisp.

I hope all of that makes sense and is easy to follow. Throughout the process, I’m always thinking about starting with a medium-value colour, then building depth by adding darker and lighter marks. I slowly build up the layers—starting at a middle value and moving slightly to the left and right of that value toward darker and lighter tones. Highlights can then further bring the painting to life, such as a white dot in the eyes or around the nose, for example.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.