Watercolor Chipmunk

[Joy]

This is watercolor on Arches 140CP, about 7 x 9. Ref photo (which I took on my back patio) is first, followed by initial washes, then completed. Other than the tail, I am not too keen about the way it came out. Shadows seems to be a problem for me.

 

[Queen Bee]

He turned out great. So cute. I don't see any problem with the shadows.

 

[snoball]

Great little guy!

 

[pcj]

This is fantastic !
His tail is really good. How do you do it !

Re: shadow - I think you could possibly put a shadow under his left paw and extend it to
the shadow under his right paw. [ but, keep in mind that this little piece of unasked -for
advice is from a person who is completely hopeless at watercolours !]

Cheers,
Patricia

 

[ams]

Nicely done Joy. Great work on the fur and tail.

I agree with Pcj, you could extend the shadow from his left paw but other than that, they look very good. The only thing I notice is that the right side of his face that is in shadow isn't as dark as I would expect it to be based on the intensity of the shadow.

 

[Terri]

You're brave for even attempting this in watercolor! A few tweaks with the shadows for extra grounding, and you have a real winner. The details in the fur and whiskers is terrific. Nice work, Joy.

 

[Joy]

Thanks for the comments!
Patricia, Anne - I welcome any and all thoughts and really appreciate the input about the shadow. I can see the shadow there in the ref photo now. It was the last thing I did and was getting sick of the painting. Will add that and post the results.

 

[jennaboo88]

This little one - so sweet and adorable! I love those big, curious eyes. Beautifully done, and the colors are wonderful, Joy!

 

[Desforges]

Well done! I have 6 of them visiting everyday. Cute little guy.

 

[Triduana]

This is great work Joy, I love all the subtle colour changes. Such an adorable animal!

 

[Artyczar]

So excellent Joy! I love this little guy.

 

[Perry]

Nice rendering and I really like the colors.

 

[classic]

I think it isn't easy at all to do these fine lines with watercolor. Did you use any extra fine brushes like 00 or 000?

 

[Joy]

Thanks all for your encouragement and comments!
Classic - The smallest brush I used was a 1.

I added a bit more shadow.

 

[classic]

Classic - The smallest brush I used was a 1.

Thank you!

 

[Donna T]

He's really cute, Joy, and so well painted! I like the change to the shadow too.

 

[Artyczar]

Even better Joy!

 

[Joy]

Thanks, all, for your input and encouragement!

 

[Hawkmoth]

Nice one Joy, somehow I missed this one earlier in the month! He's a cutie!

Seems silly now, but for what it's worth I think the cast shadows were fine to start with, but I'd probably have included some of that shadow mix on the animal (ignoring the photo and just concentrating on unifying all parts of the painting).

We don't have chipmunks here in the UK, so it's wildly exotic to me that you have them on your patio!

 

[Joy]

Claudia - We have chippies and squirrels all over the place, esp. since my cat became late in 2014. Chippies dig a lot and are very destructive. Thanks for the info on the shadow. I tried to add some colors from the chippie when it was wet, but it looked blotchy. More practice needed. Your input/advice is greatly appreciated, as you are very talented. That is why I love sites like this.