This HUGE colourful stag painting has been one of my favourite animals to paint so far! In this step by step tutorial I’ll show you how I painted this deer from start to finish with acrylic paints.
If you prefer to watch the process on video you can see the video tutorial below. If you want to see the painting process in real time so you can paint along at the same time, you can sign up to my Patreon to get access to all of my full length animal art video tutorials!
Let's Get Painting!
What you’ll need:
- Canvas – you can use any size (I used a 100cm x 120cm canvas)
- Acrylic paints (pink, blue, yellow, white, black, purple)
- Paintbrushes
- Water
Step 1:
The first step for this painting is to paint the pastel coloured background. Add yellow on the right hand side and gradually mix into pink and then purple and blue as you move across the painting. While the paint is still wet, use a large paintbrush to blend the colours together.
Step 2:
Once the background is dry, we can start painting the stag. Start out by painting the highlights on the right hand side of the face – where the sun would be hitting it. Use white and yellow acrylic paints for this. Use pure white paint for the very edge of the face and nose.
Step 3:
Fill in the rest of the stag’s face following the same colours from the background, but this time make them darker and brighter so that they stand out. Use mainly pink paints in the middle and dark purples and blues on the left hand side of the face.
Step 4:
Continue to paint the colourful stag using the same colours of acrylic paints. This is just the first layer to figure out where the colours and shading will be, so don’t worry about adding fur texture at this stage.
Step 5:
Use the same painting technique to paint the stag’s antlers. In this painting, the light source is coming from the left, so for the left antler we will use lighter and warmer colours, and for the right antler we will use darker and cooler colours to mimic the shadows.
Step 6:
To complete the first layer of this colourful animal painting, use blue and black shades of acrylic paint to paint the stag’s nose. Adding darker blues at the bottom and light blues for the highlights.
Step 7:
To paint the stag’s eye, use a smaller paintbrush so you can add more fine details. I always use a similar technique when painting animal eyes. Add black in the centre and around the edge of the eye and then fill in the rest with pink and purple paint to reflect the background. Then use a very fine paintbrush to add the eyelashes and fur reflections.
Step 8:
Now it’s time to start adding the second layer of this animal painting by adding in the fur texture. Use the same colours as you did in the first layer and a large pointed paintbrush, and move it up and down and back and forth to create the impression of fur. Use the first layer as a guide so you know which colours to use.
Step 9:
Continue to paint the fur texture all over the stag’s body and head. Take your time with this step as it will really bring your animal painting to life.
Step 10:
Continue to add texture to the stag’s face and around the eyes and nose. Use dark and light shades of paint to create highlights and shadows to really emphasise the texture of the fur. This is a great technique for painting furry animals.
Step 11:
To add the finishing touches, use a small paintbrush to add a few fine fur lines, especially over the ears. At this stage you can also brighten the highlights and darken the shadows to increase the contrast if you feel it is needed.
I hope you enjoyed this colourful stag art tutorial! If you want to get my FREE top 10 tips for painting colourful animals then sign up below.
