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Start Art 8 59 www.painters-online.co.uk RT START STAGE 3 Finished painting Apply thicker layers of paint to finish. Rather than sticking to just ivory black and titanium white, which would result in a kitten in shades of grey, I added a touch of burnt umber to the colour mixtures.This addition offers a subtle, warm brown colouration to the fur. Fill in the darker areas of the body first, using a No. 3 filbert and a mixture of ivory black and burnt umber.Add small amounts of titanium white to this mixture to create several light and medium shades of grey. Use these colours and the No. 3 filbert to paint the lighter patterns in the fur. Overlap the light colours on the dark colours to create the illusion of long fur. Switch to the No. 2 round and continue building the fur layers, overlapping light and dark strokes for a more realistic effect. Look at the chest area to see how I developed the fur layers. Make sure to capture all of the patterns in the face, particularly around the eyes. Use the No. 2 round to paint the feet.View them as patterns of light and dark shapes.Add the hair inside the ears. Make sure to use very quick strokes so that they taper at the ends and look like hair.With the No. 3/0 round and diluted titanium white, add the whiskers. They’ll stand out against the darker fur. To finish the background, apply a thicker layer of Prussian blue and titanium white. Use the No. 6 filbert and apply the paint in a circular, swirling motion. Make the colour deeper near the kitten.Add more titanium white to the mixture and make the background colour lighter as it moves farther outward, away from the kitten. Finish the foreground with a thicker application of grey, using the No. 6 filbert.The subtle blue tones from the original wash should still show through on the right. Use ivory black to create the shadows under the kitty.As you work away from the kitten, add some burnt umber to the black to give the edge of the shadow a warm glow. For the shadows on the left side of the kitten, add some ivory black and Prussian blue to the mixture and use circular brushstrokes for a hint of texture.This method allows you to gradually lighten the tones as they get farther away from the kitten. START ART BOOK OFFER Extract from Lee Hammond’s Big Book of Acrylic Painting , published by North Light Publications, rrp £16.99.To order at the offer price of £11.99 go to www.painters- online.co.uk and click on the links to the bookshop. Or telephone 0844 880 5853 between 9am and 5pm (Mon-Fri). Quote code 201239