As much fun as watching paint dry

Picking up from where I left off on Wednesday last week, I spent most of the day mixing colours, painting blocks on paper, watching them dry, scanning them into the computer and printing out to check the result. I have to get this background colour and tone right if this animal was to show up both its dark and light markings and at the same time not look garish but look vaguely natural looking. So I had numerous attempts.

The following 3 images are examples of the testers that I was doing. I painted a basic shape using colours that were similar to the ones on the animal on each block. This is to check the lights and darks against the background to make sure that the lights didn't disappear. This is particularly important with this animal because of the two light coloured joints on one pair of its legs. If these joints did not show up enough against the background then the legs would look as if a section was missing or broken.

This whole process, of course, would be easier if during the scanning process the colour picked up by the scanner and represented on the computer didn't change so drastically at times. With the mixes I was doing, the original colours (using gouache paint) was much darker and a murky brown. Not exactly pleasing to the eye, but after scanning, changed into much more acceptable colours.


These first two images show the background as much lighter and yellower than the original. The second of the two had more blues and browns added but looked not much different once it went through the scanner, although it looked considerably different painted on the paper.


After some to-ing and fro-ing with paints and scanner I finally got this mix (third image) for the background, which is what I have decided to go with. The general colour should sit nicely and compliment the colouration of the tailless whip scorpion to be painted on top.


I cut a piece of 300lb watercolour paper to about 10" x 7" (very roughly 25 x 18 cms) and with a 2" wash brush I wet the paper all over to help spread the gouache paint (mixed with water to a yoghurty consistency) evenly across it. I used just enough water to wet the paper with one brush load... too much would cause the paint to thin - I want an opaque base to work on so I get the paper just wet enough to ease the paint across the paper. I used a size 10 round brush to apply the paint and spread it out and then to minimise any possible streaking through colour separation (sometimes occurs depending on colours used in mix) I used the wash brush to even out the paint layer.

This was then left to dry thoroughly. I then transferred my drawing onto tracing paper ready to then transfer to the painted background. Once the background was dry enough and the beastie traced onto it, I then mixed a base colour for the animal and started carefully filling in the traced outline on the painted background.

Late in the afternoon both my colleague, Anna, and myself were in need of a break - Anna from the computer screen and me from the careful tracing, three times (once from original drawing, then over back of tracing and then tracing to painted background), of the beastie. It's not the simplest of shapes.

So we headed out to the tapirs as there is a new addition to the group. Just over a week ago a little baby girl was born. We hoped to see it on show, but they were nowhere to be seen either inside or out. We were just about to return to the studio when one of the keepers on the section, Rob, came out of the tapir house. We asked if it was possible to see the baby and were let into the house to where Leanne, another keeper on the section, was just about to feed them. We were allowed into the stable to meet Mum and the youngster as well as her older brother and sister. After making a fuss of mum, Tamang, and Tiptap (older sister of the baby) patting their necks, playing with ears and rubbing under their chins - we were then ok to go up to the little one and give her a tickle and pat. She is sooo cute, but what baby tapir isn't... they are just adorable little 'humbugs' with their brown and cream stripey coat. Her fur was a little curly, making lovely little waves in her cream stripes. She investigated my hand with her soft warm wet prehensile nose and gave my fingers a little lick. We spent about 5 precious mins in with them and it was such a privilege - we are grateful to the lovely keepers who allowed us that wonderful access and contact. Priceless.


This photo is of a baby tapir that was born in 2005. I chose this one out of my collection as it shows the coat at a similar age with the waves in the stripes and dark brown against the creamy stripes. As the youngster will grow and get older these stripes will straighten out and fade, eventually disappearing to leave uniform dark smoky grey brown as it turns adult.