Mastering The Art Of Painting A Tall, Skinny Giraffe

Painting a tall, skinny giraffe can be a fun project for both beginners and experienced painters. While there are various ways to approach this, one popular method is to start with the eyes, using a liner brush and mars black paint. The next step is to mix Naples yellow and titanium white and paint the entire giraffe area, contouring the strokes to the shape of the giraffe. You can then add spots in different colours or stick to traditional giraffe colours.

Paint the eyes first

Painting the eyes first is a good idea, especially if you're painting a mini. This way, you can get the eyes right, and then expand outwards. It can be tricky to get the eyes right, and you may need to attempt them a few times, but it's worth it to add some life to your painting.

To start, you'll need a nice sharp tip on your brush. Kolinsky Sable Hair brushes are great for detail work like this. Make sure you don't overload your brush with paint, or it will flood the eyeball. You don't want to use a brush that's too small either, as the paint may dry out before you've finished painting the eye.

Start with a horizontal line, then add a vertical line. Touch up the eyelids with the skin colour. You can use white for the horizontal line and black for the vertical line. Then, use a liner brush and black paint to add the eyelashes. Outline the top lid with a very fine line of black. You can also add some eyeliner to the bottom lashes.

The iris is a perfect circle, and it's important not to squash it to make it fit into the eye opening. You can use a Staedtler Professional Combo Circle Template to get the perfect circle, and re-outline the iris with a permanent black fine-tipped marker if you need to.

Remember, the eyeball sits in the eye sockets of the skull, and the skin that covers the eyes creates the eye shape. The eyeball, iris, and pupil do not change shape.

Paint the background

To begin painting your tall skinny giraffe, start by painting the background. This will be the first step before you trace the giraffe onto the canvas.

For the background, use a combination of dark blue, white, and lighter blue paint. Start by painting the bottom half of the canvas a dark blue. Then, add more and more white to your brush as you work your way up, lightening the shade of blue. The very top of the painting should be the lightest part of the background, with streaks of white and darker blue. This will create a blended effect.

You can use a blow dryer to dry the background, or wait for it to dry completely before proceeding to the next step. It is important that the background is completely dry before moving on, so be patient.

Once the background is dry, you can begin to trace the outline of your giraffe. If you are painting with kids or hosting a paint party, consider using a sharpie or a paint pen to outline the tracing. This will make it easier for beginners to follow along.

Now that the background is complete, you can move on to the next step of painting your tall skinny giraffe.

Trace the giraffe

To trace the giraffe, you will need to print out the traceable outline of the giraffe and tape it together. This will be made up of two 8.5" x 10" papers. Position the taped-together traceable on your canvas, leaving about two inches of space above the giraffe's ossicones (horns). Place a sheet of graphite paper below the traceable and trace the design. You can choose whether or not to trace the spots. If you are painting with children, it is recommended to outline the tracing with a Sharpie or paint pen for better control.

The next step is to paint the giraffe's eyes using a 10/0 liner brush and mars black. You can also use a Sharpie or paint pen for this step if you prefer. Fill in the eye area and the eyelashes on the right side of the face. You can also paint the eyelashes on the left side, but if you know you will be painting over that area later, you can leave it until a later step.

Now, you will paint the entire giraffe (except around the eyes, nostril, and inside of the ears) with Naples yellow and titanium white. Use a combination of your #4 round brush for smaller areas and a #12 bright brush for larger areas. Try to angle your brushstrokes to contour the shape of the giraffe. For example, use diagonal brushstrokes on the neck and curved brushstrokes around the chin and head.

Load your brush with equal amounts of Naples yellow and white and let the colours blend on the canvas. Some areas of the giraffe will require more Naples yellow and less white. Overall, the colours should blend together to create a similar shade across the giraffe. Apply two coats of paint for this step.

Continue filling in the giraffe until all areas are solid with no blue showing through (except for the inside of the ears). Use a #12 bright brush and burnt sienna to paint the hair. You should still see the outline of your traced giraffe, so fill in this area by dragging each stroke from the giraffe's back to the edge, using the full width of the brush. Use a combination of the #12 bright and the #4 round brush to paint the spots in burnt sienna. You can free-paint the spots or lightly draw them out with a pencil first if that helps.

Use Naples yellow and white

Painting a tall, skinny giraffe can be a fun project, and using Naples yellow and white is a great way to achieve a bright and cheerful look. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:

Prepare the Canvas and Background:

Start by preparing your canvas. If you are using a traceable, ensure it is positioned correctly on your canvas. You can use graphite paper to trace the design, and it is recommended to have about two inches of space above the giraffe's ossicones (horns). For the background, use primary blue and titanium white. Start painting from the bottom of the canvas, using vertical strokes, and work your way up. As you move up, gradually add more white to create a blended effect. The top of the painting should be the lightest part, and it is fine to have some streaks of darker blue. Either use a blow dryer or wait for the background to dry completely before proceeding.

Painting the Giraffe:

Now it's time to paint the giraffe itself. Mix Naples yellow and titanium white on your palette, using roughly equal amounts of each colour. Using a combination of your #4 round brush for small areas and a #12 bright brush for larger areas, start painting the giraffe's body. Remember to contour the shape of the giraffe with your brushstrokes. For example, use diagonal strokes on the neck and curved strokes around the chin and head. Apply two coats of paint to ensure even coverage. Continue filling in the giraffe until all areas are solid, except for the inside of the ears, which should remain blue.

Adding Details:

Once you have the base colour of the giraffe complete, you can start adding details. Use burnt sienna to paint the hair and spots of the giraffe. You can free-paint the spots or lightly draw them out with a pencil first. For the eyes, use a 10/0 liner brush and mars black to fill in the eye area. You may also wish to add eyelashes on both sides. Outline the left eyelid, and paint the inside of the ears with black, using zig-zag lines. Add some white lines on the right side of the ossicones, the top of the head, and the inner parts of the ears and nose.

Final Touches:

Review your painting and ensure all areas are covered as desired. You can now add some final touches to complete your tall, skinny giraffe painting. Using your #12 bright brush, continue to enhance the hair and spots as needed. Your giraffe is now ready to be admired!

Paint the spots

Once you've painted the background and allowed it to dry, you can begin painting the spots. Using burnt sienna, load your #4 round brush and your #12 bright brush and start filling in the spots. You can freehand the spots, or, if you prefer, you can lightly sketch them out with a pencil first.

If you want to give your giraffe spots a more realistic, fuzzy edge effect, you can try the following technique: create the fuzzy edges by painting little lines of light and dark colour that touch the opposite sides of each spot, then glaze over the edges a bit with both tones.

If you're painting with kids, you might want to outline the spots with a sharpie or paint pen before filling them in with colour.

While the spots are traditionally brown, you can change them to different colours if you'd like.

Frequently asked questions