The Sunday Art Show - How to paint a cheetah in watercolour

Ten minute cheetah painting or drawing real time. See the hi-res finished picture here: Inspired by the watercolour marker and wet brush technique that I used last week, I decided to try the same thing for an animal in this case a cheetah prowling along. Here I use a lamp black Winsor and Newton watercolour marker, a half inch flat synthetic brush and some smooth mixed media paper. Starting with loose gestural lines, using the brush tip of the watercolour marker pen, I quickly outline the general form of this big cat. Next, I use the wet brush to soften lines and create areas of tone and shadow to create a sense of three dimensions. The spotted pattern of the cheetah's coat is treated selectively and carefully to enhance the 3D effect. Then I used the fine line nib of the pen for some final details. This simple technique proved to be a really efficient way to draw this cheetah walking through the long grass and it's something I plan on exploring further in the coming weeks.